Fate and Frailty
by gorigorigo
Summary: [SHOUJO AI] The world that everyone knew has changed when destiny was rewritten for selfish reasons. It is up to the Sailor Senshi to set things right. But at what cost? This is a story where anything can happen and where love blooms in strangest places.
1. Haiku 0: Prologue

+Author's Note+

Began at February 10, 2006.

The mystery of the protagonist and the antagonist's identity was deliberate. You can play guessing games all you want, I'm not telling cheeky grin

All the haikus you will find are mine.

+Source of Inspiration+

This fic was inspired by Kirika's "Absence"; Crawlspace's "The Cruelty and Fairness of Fate"; and a conversation between bored insomniacs on the bajillion ways one could do with Pluto's Time staff. Of course, I shouldn't forget to add that Jessica's "Power Transcendent" is my newest source inspiration as well. I love how she writes...

Is anyone starting to suspect a pattern here? Heheh... Of course, I'm not ripping anyone off... The theme may seem unoriginal but the plot isn't.

+Disclaimers+

No matter how much I wish that these lovely ladies are mine (I want them in my harem :sobs:), they aren't. They belong to her... (points to Naoko Takeuchi)

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_How do you begin.  
A story without endings.  
Softly close your eyes_...

* * *

**Haiku 0: Prologue**

She could see nothing.

Blood is dripping... there was nothing else but...

It oozed out from the gash, covered the remaining distance between torn skin and the floor, then it collected into a puddle. It was all a quiet, rapid process that is the process of dying. But for someone whose senses were impaired, and with hearing the only thing left functional, the staccato sound of dripping sounded like a sledgehammer pounding away against her skull.

Then she was aware of her head jerking to the side... something hitting her with enough force to cause such an involuntary motion. Then she felt her hair being pulled, her head lifting in the process, and someone leaned in close to hiss in her ear, "Stupid human, you ruined everything..."

If she could laugh she would-- the sound would be hollow and bitter. And if she could speak, the words would be, "Right back at you, bitch." Maybe she didn't need to say those things... Perhaps the expression on her face was enough, because the grip on her hair tightened-- and the paralysis, that had delayed her body from succumbing to the trauma of its fatal injury, faded away.

The pain was unbearable.

"Simply a taste of what I have done to your friends." The voice's icy amusement was obvious, the kind of unfeeling quality that rolled the words so cruelly-- with no hint of the anger that had burst out from her nemesis earlier. "Do you remember how many times we have done this? Are you not tired of dying again and again? Seeing your friends die again and again? Wouldn't it be simpler to just let me win?"

"Never!" She choked out.

"Hm." The click-clack of heels and the sharp pounding of a staff rang in her ear as the unseen enemy moved... circling her like a vulture would around its prey. "Of course you wouldn't... because that would be out of character, wouldn't it?" It chuckled. "But I am closer to victory now... I can feel it. I have almost perfected the game. I will go to each alternate reality again and again... destroying and creating... until you wear out. And finally I win. It is inevitable."

"Don't brag... It's unbecoming..." She mocked. And the instant the words left her mouth, a swift kick was delivered to her ribs. She howled in agony, choked, then laughed. Laughing made the pain worse. But it felt good. If there was one thing SHE perfected in all of this dimension-hopping business it was her sarcasm. "Why do you sound so sure?" She said at last, the hilarity dying away and leaving an empty feeling inside her. "Some destinies change, and some don't. Our destiny is fixed--"

"Shut up!"

"You realize that, don't you... No matter how many times you go to different worlds to change things--"

"SILENCE!"

"--your sick dream will never come tr--"

She felt herself being hurled in the air as the burning blast of the Time staff's Dead Scream hit her. She collided with a wall, which gave out against the power of the impact and caused dust and debris to fly everywhere.

Then there was silence.

Then there was maniacal laughter. When it died away, the following words were uttered with quiet and untarnished conviction, "You're right... I knew this from the from the beginning. But each time I failed, I got stronger... However, I did not expect my success to be delayed this long. Thanks to you, I am unstoppable. On the NEXT world... My paradise WILL be realized. Even something as inconsequential as destiny cannot touch me now." There was a pause.

She couldn't feel the pain anymore. But she knew it was not because of the paralysis like last time... She was startled when the genderless voice whispered directly in her ear, its tone was full of honest sympathy, "I admit... You are one of the most annoying and persistent of pests... You have challenged me more than any other. But this is the last chase for you."

She couldn't feel pain anymore... Finally... There was nothing at all.


	2. Haiku 1: Connected Coincidences

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_See the thin, red line.  
That kills coincidences.  
How fragile it is..._

* * *

**Haiku 1: Connected Coincidences**

Feelings possessed the length of her arms to the tips of her fingers, it possessed the whole of her body to the tips if her toes. That was why she could not afford to lose her feelings even if she knew she would lose her humanity in the process. These feelings ran through her body, dictating her every motion, and commanding the awe of her audience by the subtlety of her private dance. And her anger possessed her-- raw, unrestrained rage. Despite the sheer brutality of her performance, one could not help but admire how rehearsed it all seemed... like a kung-fu movie-- all action and eye candy. Of course, anyone who truly knew Kino Makoto would claim that the girl was one hell of a fighter. Simply put.

The campus of Juuban High was open and treeless. They had more than enough space to move about, and for the students to gather around in a spacious circle. Makoto, with her school uniform already torn and dirtied, ran through the punks in an impressive display of strength and agility... taking them down one by one, and sometimes two or three of them at the same time.

This episode was not something new to the students and teachers. After all, Juuban High was notorious for its number of delinquents and troublemakers who "studied" (and that's putting it mildly) here. So naturally, fights and chaos would often erupt the moment they had enough hellions... or the moment Makoto stepped into the campus.

Many bruises and aches later... The tall girl was the only one left standing. Her wavy brown hair, which was normally tied into a pony-tail, now hung freely and unkempt over her shoulders.

She spat... Saliva, mixed with blood, stained one of her downed opponents on his discolored cheek. She muttered rudely at no one in particular and walked over to pick up her book bag on the ground. The gathering students near it moved away skittishly. They were too intimidated to have the fierce Amazon come into their proximity. But before she could bend down to grab it, a pair of leather-clad feet came into her view. One of them began to tap impatiently.

Wary green eyes slowly trailed along the stocky form, and met those of the teacher's stern, brown ones. "Kino-san." Sawada Tetsuya, a balding and middle-aged, no-nonsense man, rumbled ominously. "Fighting again?"

She knew it was useless to make him listen to reason. The man was really just a prejudiced asshole... but she said it anyway, "They started it!"

"Really now?" He scoffed and crossed his massive arms over his burly chest. "Just because you are a girl doesn't mean I will treat you any less than a troublemaker."

Makoto clenched her fists tightly, which trembled. She fought to keep them on her sides and not give in to the urge to smack the sneer off the other man's face. "Look," she began forcefully, "How could you say I'm the troublemaker? They were all ganging up on me! Should I just stand there and giggle girlishly and let myself get beaten?"

Tetsuya did not answer her immediately. Instead, he leveled his gaze over to the assembly of students and asked them, "Who threw the first punch?"

There was a hesitant pause before someone who was hidden among the crowd, and sure of his safety because of it, cried out, "Kino-san, sensei."

"There... You see?" He turned his head to focus on his wayward student once again.

"But--"

"Now, you pick up your things and follow me to the Dean's office." He interrupted her, jerking his head towards the school.

"To hell with you!" She exclaimed and swooped down to finally grabbed her bag-- slinging it over her shoulder in one swift movement. "I'm out of here!" Then she stormed towards the open gates, ignoring Sawada's angry warnings behind her. It wasn't the smartest thing to do... she knew that. She could get suspended for fighting alone, and not confronting the Dean about it would certainly get her expelled. But her feelings and her pride would not allow her to take much more of this humiliation.

'Damn...' She thought hatefully, and glanced behind her to glare at the bullies who were starting to get up. 'It's all their fault.'

Nishikawa and his stupid goons had been on her case since the beginning of the school year. Harassing her, calling her names, picking on her-- they did everything to make her life in Juuban miserable. It was only when she started to fight back did it get worse. She had been targeted by all the stupid and violent morons in Minato ever since. They simply could not allow a girl to dominate them.

Makoto still held her baleful gaze over her shoulder, so she did not see a small form walk out from around the corner and inherently blocked her way. She collided with the figure. Legs tangled with legs, before they both lost their balance and fell to the ground with a resounding thud.

The brunette groaned and sat up. "What the hell!" She exclaimed, her already wired temper finally snapping. This was the last straw! She jerked her head to face the blockhead responsible for her fall, her mouth open and ready to unleash her fury. But the moment her gaze fell upon the smaller and fragile form of another girl, she could do nothing else but croak.

"I-I'm sorry!" The aforementioned girl cried out, both in fright and embarrassment. She was pale, but it was not because of her current disposition-- it was simply her natural coloring. Her boyishly-cut, blue hair had miraculously stayed in place in spite of the collision. Her blue eyes were wide and doleful as it peered up into Makoto's own as if appealing for her mercy. "I didn't watch where I was going. I'm so sorry!"

"Erm..." Makoto began awkwardly, "it's okay. I didn't watch where I was going either." She gathered her bag and herself before standing up. She reached down and helped pull the other girl to her feet. "Excuse me..." She muttered before walking away, oblivious to the thoughtful gaze that followed her retreating form.

* * *

Juuban was not like Mizuno Ami had expected. In fact... It was worse. Seventy-five percent of the student population was loud, rebellious, and noisy. Twenty percent were the ill-fated playthings of these bullies. And the remaining five percent were the lucky few who managed to avoid attention and trouble altogether. Ami had hoped to be one of those lucky few... Unfortunately, the moment she and Makoto crossed paths, she immediately felt the interested scrutiny of everyone present on the campus grounds.

She had blushed, had bent her head, and had plowed through the crowd to reach the safety of the school's inner sanctum. Then, she had gone to check in with the Dean, whose name and face were forgettable, before discreetly trying to search for her classroom.

And now here she was, in class 1-D, sitting on one of the front row chairs which was nearest to the window. Her head was still bent as she pretended to read something in her book. She tried to ignore the boisterous laughter, the vulgar comments thrown back and forth across the room, and the ear-splitting blare of the boom box that was currently playing a song by some American rock band called Slipknot.

8:19

She counted the seconds...

8:20

'Where is the teacher!' She thought desperately.

There was a slam, of fist against table, which caused Ami to jump. "Oi! What kind of yankee crap are you playing!" A boy yelled from somewhere behind her. "Play something nice and hip hop!"

"Up yours!" Came the witty retort.

Then all hell broke lose.

Ami's body was rigid as she remained where she was... She was torn between looking for a safe spot away from the fight, and looking for a way to escape the classroom without catching anyone's attention. But her decision was taken away from her the moment the door was kicked open. A tall, lean boy with short bleached hair, and malicious dark eyes-- stepped inside. Behind him were his band of merry brutes. All four of them sported a few bruises, and black eye or two.

Silence suddenly filled the room like a thick fog, but the boom box continued to boom its music against the awkward quietness. The air crackled with tension. Ami quickly tore her eyes away from the young thugs-- the motion catching the attention of the leader. But he did not address her right away. Instead, he drawled to everyone else in the classroom, "Eeeehhh? What's this? You're all having fun without me? What do you think about that? Eh, Endo-kun?"

"It's not fair, Aniki!" The boy to his right, a behemoth of a person, continued the flow of the mockery. "We like to have... fun too. Right, Inouye-kun?"

"Hell frickin' yeah! Slaughtering you all, that's frickin' fun!" Another cohort cut in, this one the lankiest of them all, his hair standing in green spikes.

The palest boy with dreadlocks and multiple-piercing, suddenly lashed out a fist and caught his friend on the chin. "Shaddup, Usui-tako! He was talking to me!"

"That frickin' hurt you jerk!"

"Shut up!" Their leader whirled around to glare at them, then punched the one called Usui on the top of his head.

"Ah hell, Nishikawa-kun! That reaaaally frickin' hurt!" Usui wailed, and scampered behind Endo for protection.

Nishikawa turned back around to look at everyone else coldly before making his way to Ami. His friends exchanged smirks before following his cue. The students who occupied some of the seats, which surrounded Ami's, suddenly stumbled out of them. Nishikawa sat directly behind her, Endo sat beside him, Inouye sat to her right, Usui dragged a chair in front of her and straddled it. She was clearly, and utterly surrounded.

Ami's hands started to tremble, and she laid them flat against the table's surface to steady them, staring at them-- afraid to look up and acknowledge the dreaded truth that she was prey.

"Eeeehhh? What's this? Some blue bird is blocking my view!" Nishikawa exclaimed and put his feet up to rest on top of the chair's back rest. Ami could feel the dirty and course bottom of the bully's shoes pressing against her back. She felt them push against her, forcing her to lean forward. She bit her lower lip, her eyes growing moist in embarrassment.

"How am I going to learn all my lessons in class if I can't see the black board?" Nishikawa went on, sighing exaggeratedly. "I think you ought to move all the way at the back, blue bird!"

Ami tried to stand, then, "I... I can't." She whimpered.

"Why not?"

"Y-Your feet. M-maybe if you c-could..."

"My feet are comfortable where they are, blue bird." Nishikawa grinned and stretched them out even further-- practically forcing Ami to bend, her nose now inches from the table's surface. "We're so cramped in here! I like to stretch my legs out, you see? You're so small and skinny, I'm sure you can... slip through."

His friends laughed cruelly. Usui leaned forward, the chair tilting along with him. His long tongue snaked out to lick his thin lips in a lecherous manner as he tried to peer into the frightened girl's eyes. "I dunno Nishikawa-kun! She's frickin' sexy to me! Totally my type! I especially like 'em when they frickin' cry!"

"All girls are your type, you horn dog..." Inouye muttered.

Ami whimpered and closed her eyes, her hands curled into fists. She wanted to die. She wanted to die right now. At least something as sudden and permanent as death was better than this prolonged torment and humiliation... She tried to die... She tried to close off all her senses-- the sight, the awareness of sounds, feelings... she tried to pretend she had none.

Then she heard it.

Her world exploded in lights and color when she suddenly opened her eyes.

Her jaw tightened in determination. A sudden sense of calm and courage washed over her as the familiar song the boom box was easing out of its massive speakers was now easing her troubled psyche. Her fists uncurled, her palms once again flat and strong against the wooden surface.

She pushed.

"Hey! What gives!" Nishikawa exclaimed.

The boom box continued to play as Ami stood up, glared down at the other boys, and ran out of the classroom. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. What had she done...? With her little show of defiance, she wasn't sure she was going to be left alone now. 'What am I going to do?'

_In the city I'm not used to that's full of dirt,_

_I can't laugh the same and I walked with my head down_

_People pass by in a quick pace_

_I ask "have their dreams come true?" _

_But I'm still struggling_

_I want to try living in the present_

_rather than returning to my childhood_

_It's my nature to be a coward_

_If I go to a sunny spot and stretch my arms out,_

_I wonder if I can go beyond the sky_

_that's what I thought_

_The wings I use to fly away are still invisible_

_It's because it's not simple that I can go on living_

_I just picked up a wet puppy and for a while, _

_I laughed so much that tears spilled_

_"I want to be loved, I just want to be loved" is what I said_

_It's no good just to ask for it_

_When I was a child, there were days when I hurt my mom badly_

_I want to change everything_

_I went to a sunny spot and tried holding your hand tightly_

_I will destroy that place, that time, so I can change my life_

_But I really can't express everything that's in my heart_

_It's because it's not simple that I can go on living_

_I went to a sunny spot and spread out my map, but_

_I know... You know... that even the path of doubts can't be helped_

_I can change my life_

_All the days that have passed make up the me that's here now_

_It's because it's not simple that I can go on living_

"Minako-chan..."

* * *

"Minako-chan!"

The blonde's blood-shot blue eyes fluttered open and regarded her manager sullenly. "What?"

The other's darker blue eyes-- which was more aquamarine than blue-- twinkled with amusement. If it wasn't for the fact that Michiru was a serene, polite and professional person... Aino Minako could almost believe the idea that the other woman took great joy in tormenting her.

"So grumpy," Michiru clucked her tongue in feigned disapproval; her voice was coy as always, "did you have a late night?

"When did I not?" The 15-year-old singer countered tiredly. She groaned and sat up, feeling her back protest against the abuse of sleeping on the stiff, narrow couch for several hours. She really needed to train herself to sleepwalk towards the bedroom or she'd die of a bad back or something.

'Right...'

She yawned and tightened the sash around her waist, re-adjusting her silky cream-colored robe so that she looked decent enough for company. "But I was not out partying this time..." She went on in sleepy defense. The young girl ambled her way through the other portion of her spacious and opulent suite to reach her equally luxurious and neglected kitchen. Michiru was not long behind. "It's my best friend; we were talking on the phone most of the night... She's going to study in this crappy school... Joo-something. The poor thing was a nervous wreck."

"Mizuno-chan?" Michiru queried, out of graciousness if anything else. She sensed that the blonde needed to talk about the current turn of events. She really did not care about the going-ons of her Talent's personal life... it was not her business. And when it was not her business, she could not allow herself to form any sort of emotional attachment to it.

"Yeah..." Minako sighed and started to fix herself some coffee. It was the only thing she knew how to do, really. She did not trust the hotel's room service to make a decent cup of coffee. Coffee was crucial. Coffee was her life.

"Ack!" The teenager exclaimed when she caught her reflection, seeing all that unkempt mess on her head on the coffee pot's shiny, glassy surface. "My hair!" Minako also remembered that her hair was equally as important as her perfect cup of coffee.

Michiru hid a smile when her younger charge rushed past her, yelling, "Brew the coffee for me!"

"Ahh... Routine..." The older woman chuckled to herself and continued prepare the bittersweet concoction for her young charge. She began to hum to herself, conscious of the sound of the shower turning on through the open doorway of her star's room. A full minute did not even pass when she heard Minako's voice reverberate loudly, "Why did she have to choose that school of all places?"

Michiru sighed and chided, "You're going to hurt your throat shouting like that. We'll talk when you're done."

"Right! Sorry!"

The aqua-haired woman sighed again.

When Minako came out of her bedroom, fresh, perfectly groomed, and dressed like the trendy pop star that she was-- she was immediately assailed by the delicious aromas of French toast and coffee. She followed the smells towards the kitchen, and saw her diligent manager lay her breakfast down on the table. "Heaven..." She swooned, falling into her chair, the one that faced away from the tall, elegantly designed window behind her. "I don't know what I'll do without you."

"Bon appetit." The other woman told her, smiling warmly. She seated herself across from her and watched Minako devour her food happily.

"You've already eaten, right?"

"Of course, Minako-chan." Michiru answered pleasantly. "My husband would not let me leave the house otherwise."

"Hehe, of course..." Minako chuckled knowingly. "You're really dedicated to your work, Kaioh-san. You're so busy taking care of your Stars; you keep forgetting to take care of yourself! Always holing yourself up in the office and whatnot..." She sipped her coffee, frowned, and reached out for the sugar container that was conveniently placed nearby for her. The coffee was always never sweet enough. "Sometimes," she went on absently, "I wonder if you're trying to avoid going home."

Minako did not see the older woman shift uncomfortably. "Tell me more about your friend and her new school." Michiru interjected smoothly.

"Oh yeah!" The blonde exclaimed, her brows crinkling with worry. "Ami-chan is really smart! She can go to any school she wants! I can't believe she wanted to go to Joo-- that school!"

"Is the school that bad?"

"Well, according to her, it's a really, really bad place with really, really bad and violent people." Minako grabbed her toast and chomped down on it forcefully. "And she's just a timid and helpless thing without me... I'm really worried, Kaioh-san!"

Michiru could not help but empathize with the other girl's worry. But the situation did not make any sense. "Why did she choose to go there then?"

"Because it's cheap." Minako pursed her lips together in a grimace of distaste. Not just at the idea of poverty, but also at the fact that such a silly reason would pose such a hindrance to her well-connected friend. "I offered to lend her some money, but that... that..." The blonde blew a frustrated breath. "She's so stubborn!"

"I see..." Michiru murmured in understanding.

"I really don't understand her sometimes." Minako went on, standing up to pace in front of the window with her faithful cup of coffee in hand. "She had this opportunity to be well-off with her mom, but instead-- she had to go choose and live with her dad. After her parents' divorce, she just changed... I mean, so what if her mom's such a bitch? At least she owns a house and a car!" She shook her head. "I mean, look at me! I have everything! And I'm perfectly happy!"

The older woman watched her pace, catching a whisper of emptiness in Minako's vehement tone. 'She knows nothing beyond the happiness of wealth.' She thought, understanding the self-made farce very well. She felt a profound sense of sadness for Minako and herself.

The blonde stilled, she pressed her forehead against the cold, crystal pane and stared at the sky. At this vantage point, high above her family-owned hotel building on the 30th floor, one could appreciate the expansive and unobstructed view of the sky. To her, the sky seemed bland and lifeless right now.

'Ami-chan likes to look at the sky...' Minako thought then looked down at her coffee, seeing how black her reflection was against the dark, liquid surface. For one brief moment, she was overcome with loneliness and despair. 'I can't depend on Ami-chan anymore...' She thought darkly. "She's my only, real friend, Kaioh-san..." She whispered. "With her going to that horrid school, I won't see much of her anymore."

"You can always visit her, you know?"

"You know I can't." Minako stepped away from the window to sip her drink. She closed her eyes and said, as if it were a personal mantra, "I have too much to do. I can't neglect my dream. The moment I do, I will be pushed down into obscurity. In the entertainment business, it's survival of the fittest... I want to be on stage, Kaioh-san... There's nothing like the adoration and love of your fans! On stage, under the spotlight, I matter, I feel like my existence means something!"

"Of course," Michiru replied neutrally, feeling even sadder for Minako. There was a moment of silence. When she realized that the blonde had nothing more to say, she reached out for her purse and took out her silver and sleek, little Personal Digital Assistant. Perhaps a change of topic was necessary. "Minako-chan, do you remember the Benefit I mentioned the other day?"

"What benefit?" Minako murmured. She was too immersed in her thoughts to pay attention to what was being said to her as she continued to stare out of the window.

"The Hospital Benefit," Michiru reminded patiently and checked the schedule on her organizer, "We promised that you would perform for the sick children in two weeks."

This time the blonde did turn around, her eyes wide with dismay; the announcement successfully diverted her from her gloomy musings. "Two weeks? Isn't that too soon?"

"Oh no," her manager chuckled, "it's just a Benefit, Minako-chan. We don't need to promote the event to the public as much we usually do. Besides, the Hino Foundation has taken care of all that. Representative Hino and his family will personally attend the event."

Minako smiled slightly and sat back down on her chair once again. "The Hino Foundation, eh? And who would've thought that Hino-san had time to play the philanthropic..."

"You don't like him?" Michiru looked at her in surprise. "And I didn't know you were into politics."

The younger girl bent over slightly as she tittered in laughter. "I was not trying to be sarcastic, and of course I'm NOT into politics! Come on..." She shook her head at the absurdity of the notion. "My father! He likes to have powerful friends." Minako leaned over to Michiru conspiratorially. "It's just that... According to him, Hino Yasujiro-san was personally one of the most uptight and callous person you'd ever get to meet! Politics meant everything to him like Stardom does to me!"

The aqua-haired woman tilted her head curiously, keenly sensing something amiss with her Talent's statement. "'Was,' Minako-chan?"

"Uh huh," Minako nodded, "Recently, Hino-san changed. Something about his daughter and an accident... Since then, he has never left the country. Oto-sama said he 'liked him better when he was a bastard' and 'at least he was responsible enough to attend to his duties.'"

"Ah yes! I do believe I've seen that on the news last week, the accident I mean. Last I heard the poor girl had amnesia." Michiru shook her head in pity.

Minako stared at her cup of coffee again. "It must be scary to lose your memories..." She said, frowning. "I can't imagine waking up one day, not knowing who I am. That'd be the worst!" At the last exclamation, she tilted her head back and expelled a bated breath. 'Then again,' she thought, 'it must be liberating to know nothing, especially about yourself.'

"You are going to see her at the Benefit." Her manager added thoughtfully.

She craned her neck slightly to look out the window again, seeing everything in an upside-down perspective. The sky, to her, looked a little bluer this way. "What was her name again, Kaioh-san?"

* * *

R. E. I. C. H. A. N.

In red, bold letters...

It was the first thing she noticed the moment she woke up-- that and the feeling of something painfully thick and heavy cramping into her skull-- like cotton and cobwebs. Rei-chan... The word seemed foreign to her. How odd... It almost sounded like a name if she said it out loud. "Reichan?" She tried it once, her voice dull and weak of disuse. She decided that it sounded familiar enough to be a name. Her eyes flickered over to the other, smaller words written above it. 'We love you' with a comma on the end. We love you, Reichan...

Whoever Reichan was, she must be someone lucky.

She tried to get up. The effort was tiring and agonizing but she managed. 'What happened to me?' She thought.

She tried to take note of her surroundings and her body's current condition. She was lying in what seemed to be a cot. Other than the colorful banner that she had first laid eyes on, the equally colorful balloons, the yellow daisies and the orange vase that held them on her bedside table-- everything in this small room was painted in all shades of white. Her right arm was held in a cast, and a bandage was tightly wrapped around her head.

All in all, she concluded that she was in some sort of hospital and that she was a patient here. 'What happened to me?' She wondered again and felt a sudden sense of dread as she tried to think of an answer. 'Why am I here?'

Then...

'W-who am I?'

She started when she heard the door click open and she leveled a wary gaze at the man who entered. He was a gray-haired handsome man, but his face was ragged with age and stress lines. His mouth almost seemed to have a permanent grim set to it. But the moment his matching violet eyes met hers, the lips curled upward.

"Rei-chan!" He exclaimed, relief flooding his voice. He bustled towards her and grabbed her good hand, wrapping it around both of his as if he were afraid to let go. "I thought... I-- I'm so glad you're awake!" She stared at him blankly for a moment, before she turned her focus towards the door again when she saw another person enter-- this one a woman. Her hair was tied up in a severe bun and she had matching blue eyes that was framed by rectangular eyeglasses. She obviously looked like she was in charge of this place.

"Please, Hino-san." The doctor said, a hint of reproach in her polite words.

The man, the girl now knew as Hino-san, loosened his grip. "I'm sorry, Mizuno-san." He inhaled shakily then smiled at the incapacitated young girl in front of him. "I'm just so happy to see her awake."

She cocked her head slightly at him, her brows furrowing in puzzlement. "Why?"

The question obviously gave him pause. "It's because you've been asleep for almost two days, Rei-chan."

'He keeps calling me Rei-chan... Is that my name?' She thought and smiled, feeling some of her worries alleviate at that. "Why?" She asked again. "Why was I asleep for two days," she paused as she tried to recall what the other woman had called him, "Hino-san?"

The smile on the man's face fell, and he quickly exchanged worried looks with the doctor who quickly scribbled something on her medical dossier. "What was the last thing you remember, Rei-chan?" He asked instead, and that grim, unreadable line returned to his mouth with practiced ease.

"I..." She began, and tried to remember. Suddenly, she had the urge to rub her head. For some reason, her mind... tickled. It was as if the answer was trying to claw its way up into consciousness but was too weak to tear through the hazy barrier of forgetfulness. The whole thing bothered her. "I don't know..."

In that instant, she saw the man's face crumble. But before she could express her apologies for saying something that might've saddened him-- she suddenly found herself being engulfed in a suffocating hug. "I'm so sorry, Rei-chan. I promise, I'll be here for you this time. I'll never abandon you again!" The vehemence of his words both frightened and reassured her.

'Who is he to say such things?' She thought, bewildered, as she tried to push him away.

The doctor cleared her throat and put a firm hand on his shoulder. "Hino-san-- no, Yasujiro-san, my friend... Please. You're stressing the patient."

Yasujiro stood up and whirled around to face her, his face twisting angrily. "She is my daughter!" He yelled as if the statement were all the reason she needed.

"Rei-chan does not need to witness any of your emotional outbursts, Yasujiro-san." Doctor Mizuno chastised him sternly. "Both her mind and her body need to heal properly. And in order to do that, I suggest that you cooperate with me." She brought her clipboard up and examined the notes she made, a gesture to stall and to dismiss any future argument. "I am the best doctor in the field. I know what I'm doing."

Yasujiro bit his lip before glancing at his daughter once again. "Can I talk to you outside then, Kaori-san?" He asked quietly, to which the other woman agreed.

Rei watched them leave and gingerly lay back down on the bed. All strength left her. She was even more befuddled than ever. Nothing the adults said made sense, and she was too drained to bother deciphering their confusing words.

'What the heck is going on?'

* * *

+Author's Note+

The song you found in the middle of the chapter is called Life and belongs to YUI. I love it! If anyone wants a link of the mp3, just email me... Any kind of constructive criticism is welcome and appreciated. Flames? Eh... Well... I'm open to them too. It only proves to show that the more you hate me, the more this fic is being read. Haha :P Seriously, I like talking with people so hook me up.

I took creative liberites on naming the girls' parents. I could research about what their real names are, but I'm too lazy.

Aniki means big brother. It doesn't necessarily mean they are related though.

The "-tako" suffix is added to someone's name when you wanted to refer to them as a stupid jerk. But the literal meaning is octopus.


	3. Haiku 2: Sincerity in Your Eyes

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_The look in her eyes.  
Can you honestly resist.  
Knowing the answer?_

* * *

**Haiku 2: Sincerity in Your Eyes**

Makoto sighed when a beam of sunlight finally filtered through the blinds of her windows and shone directly over her closed eyelids. She rolled over to her side with every intention of sleeping to her heart's content and thus, missing another day of school. Her third day, that is...

She didn't need to worry about parents barging in her room and demand why she was absent this often. She lived alone in an apartment she inherited from her "Bancho." Some inheritance... It was apparent that the former tenant did not take good care of this apartment. There were cracks on parts of the wall where the dirty-white wallpaper did not cover. There were scratches on the wooden floor and a discoloration where Makoto had studiously scrubbed unknown stains away or where she poured lye over it. The only window to her room was stuck half-open, thus the blinds. At least the ceiling was clean and sturdy enough. And she had her own bathroom and a "balcony" of some sorts (actually, it was more like a fire escape than anything).

It was a relatively small apartment, that's why the young girl could not afford the luxury of filling it up with decorations that would make her home feel more like home. But even if she could, she still could not afford to spend her meager savings on impractical things. Paying her tuition was hard enough.

The thought of school started to depress her. She hated Juuban. She hated the situation Nishikawa and the other bullies had forced on her. Makoto had thought she could leave such things behind when she transferred here to Minato. She was obviously mistaken. No one can run from their pasts... but she could sleep it all away for a day.

But alas, it was not to be-- especially when she had annoying neighbors who insist on mothering her. Or acting as big sisters... or something like that.

"Wakey, wakey Mako-chaaaaaaan!" Seiya sang loudly into her ear.

"You're missing school again?" Taiki asked dispassionately as she and Yaten walked inside the room after Seiya. If Makoto would open her eyes she would see that the cross-dressing siblings were exchanging mischievous looks. "You know what we must do, sisters."

The brunette knew all too well what that meant. She immediately scrambled out of bed, barely missing Seiya, Taiki and Yaten, as they cannonballed themselves onto Makoto's bed. "Are you crazy!" Makoto panted from her place on the floor-- her green pajamas and her long hair were askew from her hasty leap. "You guys nearly broke my neck last time you did that!"

"I see a definite improvement in her time and response." Taiki concluded breezily as she turned to her sisters and ignored the glare that Makoto was aiming her way.

"She actually managed to get out of bed this time." Yaten added with a smirk.

"But she still fell on her ass." Seiya's eyes were closed, her arms across her chest, as she pondered this unfortunate fact. "We must do it again tomorrow."

"Like hell..." Makoto grumbled crankily and stood up. She placed her hands on her hips and eyed the trio of grinning women sitting comfortably on her bed. "Why are you guys wearing the penguin suits? I thought male hosts do their work at night?"

Seiya laughed at that as she looked down at her penguin suit. "We're going to audition as back-up singers for the Hospital Benefit today," she explained. "And..."

"And you're here for your freebie, right?" Makoto cut in and crossed her arms defiantly. "Couldn't you guys just eat out? I'm running low on funds here and with all of you coming here everyday to leech off of me is just... Or better yet, have your so-called girlfriends cook something for you!"

"Don't be so stingy! Sheesh." Yaten exclaimed. "We, like, help you pay the rent too!"

"With this!" Makoto pulled a drawer out of her study desk to reveal the wrinkled scraps of paper that had I.O.U. written on each of them. "You earn more than enough with your jobs at night. So cough up the dough before I feed you!" She knew it was hopeless no matter how much she demanded though. The problem with these girls is that they didn't know how to keep their money in their pockets. Makoto released an exasperated breath as she waited for their answer.

"We'll get famous first before paying it all back!" The platinum-blonde retorted defensively. "We ARE going to pay it back. In fact, we might pay it all back when we make this audition. So don't be such an uptight bi--"

Taiki immediately clamped a hand over her younger sister's mouth before the damage could be done. Really... She could not put these two together in the same room and expect them to play nice.

"This is the last time, Mako-chan." Seiya pleaded, "We didn't eat lunch and supper yesterday and we're really hungry. And you know how much we love your cooking." She paused to gauge her friend's reaction and saw that the stony expression on her face didn't even crack.

It was time for some serious firepower... She exchanged furtive glances with her sisters before they all got off the bed and knelt in front of Makoto.

"Please oh please Mako-chama!" They begged simultaneously and blinked their tear-filled eyes rapidly. Seiya decided to up the ante and started to claw at the other girl's pants weakly. "We're sooooooo hungry."

Makoto stared down at them in disbelief before bursting out in laughter-- the first one in three days. "Get up you bozos. You look ridiculous." She said after the laughter died down to mere chuckling. She looked down at them fondly. What would she do without them? She would probably still be brooding over every crap that's been happening to her as of late. "What do you guys want to eat anyway?"

"I want Okonomiyaki!" Yaten announced.

"This early in the morning?" Taiki gawked at her.

"Shut up, it's what I want."

"Of all the rude things...!"

"I want pickled rice and fish. No wait... I want an American breakfast! Fried bacon and eggs to be exact... No wait, I want bacon and pickled rice instead. No, no! That's weird. I want..." Seiya rattled off indecisively.

'On second thought,' Makoto sighed, 'my life would be a whole lot less complicated without these three.' She began to move out of her room and towards her little makeshift kitchen-slash-dining room. The others exchanged victorious grins before getting up to follow her. "I'm going to make you all pancakes." She glanced at the sisters to see them about to protest then forcefully added, "PERIOD." And everyone immediately shut their mouths. "Now make yourselves some juice or coffee and grab a seat."

The sisters smiled bemusedly at Makoto's back before moving to prepare their drinks as they were told. When they were in her territory-- her kitchen to be precise, the younger girl always seemed to be in full mother-hen mode, or a bossy wife as Seiya often teased. Of course, outside this, the roles were definitely reversed.

Yaten found herself thinking back to the time when they first knew about Makoto. The apartment their friend was living in now used to belong to someone else... an odd guy, who looked like he came out of one of those cheesy gangster movies, who insisted that everyone call him Bancho.

One night, Bancho invited them all to his place for his "good bye party." Of course Yaten couldn't care less if the weirdo left. But she went anyway.

They learned that Bancho was going back to his hometown in Okinawa to take over his father's fishing business. He lamented over leaving his gang behind especially his "right-hand man" named Makoto. It was clear that Bancho cared a great deal for this Makoto guy. Of course, Yaten, who didn't realize Makoto was actually a girl back then, had thought, 'This guy's a fag?'

The "deep brotherly love that was rare in modern gangsters" Bancho had loved to brag about suddenly took on a whole new meaning for Yaten. With a shiver, she banished the horrifying thoughts immediately.

By the end of the night, when everyone was sufficiently buzzed with alcohol, Bancho made them all promise to watch out for Makoto. She and her sisters just shrugged and muttered noncommittal 'okays.'

The next day, Bancho left.

The following day after that they finally met her. It was early in the morning, when Yaten, Taiki and Seiya came back from their night jobs. They saw a girl hunched outside the closed door of Bancho's apartment, fast asleep. Taiki had frowned and approached her first. She gently shook the other awake.

When the girl looked up with tired and empty eyes, Yaten felt a pang of sympathy.

"Are you Makoto?" Taiki had asked.

"Yes..." The stranger had answered huskily.

And they had been friends ever since. 'Who knew...' Yaten thought, 'My sisters and I found it easy to fulfill our promise to Bancho after all.'

"Say Mako-chan..." Taiki began thoughtfully as she, along with the others, watched their friend putter about in the small kitchen. "You're not going to school anytime soon, right? Like today maybe?"

"Nope." The brunette answered as she started to break the eggs over the bowl.

"Good!" Yaten clapped her hands together decisively. "You're coming with us to the auditions." Taiki and Seiya seemed surprised that she had been the one to offer first. Yaten was not known to be openly solicitous, especially to Makoto. But they smiled and nodded when the brunette paused and seemed to be considering it.

"And what? Watch all the blood dribble out of everyone's ears when you sing?" Makoto teased. "No thanks."

"Ha ha..." The shorter girl sneered, paused, then quietly she added, "Seriously, we want you to be there... for um... support." This seemed to catch the brunette off-guard and she had to look at Yaten to see if she heard wrong. When the other girl looked back at her intensely, Makoto realized that her friend had indeed said what she thought she said.

"Sure." Makoto shrugged nonchalantly and turned back around to continue preparing the pancakes. "I'll come with you guys. Just don't expect me not to take my hands off my ears when you go up on stage."

"Awesome!" Seiya looked pleased. "We have another penguin suit already prepared for you back in our flat."

"Ooooohhhhh no!" Makoto whirled around again and pointed the egg beater at them threateningly. "We are NOT going as the queer quadruplets! I refuse! On the other hand... feel free to look like clones, but you're not making me wear it!"

"But Mako-chaaaaan!" Seiya whined. "We need to look united! Didn't Bancho make the gang dress all alike? 'United we stand, divided we fall.' That way, our circle of support will never be broken!"

The younger girl blushed and shook her head adamantly. "That was a long time ago! I was young and stupid! Besides, I'm not going to be up there singing with you guys. I don't HAVE to look like you."

"Please Mako-chan?"

"No!"

"Pleeeeeeeeeeease Mako-chama?"

"Never!"

* * *

The auditions were being held in the Kusanagi Hotel in Roppongi. Roppongi was famous for being one of the most prominent nightclub districts in Japan. It was the district that never sleeps. It was also a place where sinful pleasures can be fulfilled. So it was of no surprise as to why one would see foreigners everywhere. It was one of the best tourist spots in Minato. But of course, the Japanese still outnumbered them. Minako's mother had been brilliant and shrewd enough to secure a place in the heart of this "paradise" to build one of her biggest hotels which, was now one of the most popular hotels in Roppongi. Of course, she forbid Minako from coming to this place, often thinking that the influence of the district's sleazy yet sophisticated atmosphere would corrupt her daughter even further.

So it was because of this reason that Minako would often choose Roppongi's Kusanagi Hotel to hold auditions. It was a good excuse to stay overnight, short auditions notwithstanding.

"I don't see why we have to have new back-up singers, Minako-chan." Michiru whispered to the blonde from her seat beside her. They were inside one of Kusanagi's function rooms. It was one of the smallest ones since only she, Minako and the song director named Katsuhiko were the only people who would not be able to leave the room any time soon. They had a makeshift stage set up against one of the walls in front of the judges. There was a microphone in the center. All in all, it was really just an ordinary setting for an audition.

The real chaos, however, was outside the room where all the hopeful and antsy singers stood in line, waiting.

Minako did not answer Michiru and pretended to listen to a duo of dorky-looking guys sing their hearts out. They weren't bad... if only they just took better care of their appearance. The pop star concluded that they simply lacked the Star quality they needed to be a part of Aino Minako's crew. Even back-up singers were scrutinized by the public. This was the kind of business that was meticulous in choosing the best overall appearance and performance of their Stars for the fans.

"Oh my god... You didn't." Michiru gasped beside her. The blonde was finally forced to focus on her manager when the other woman firmly shook her shoulder. "You didn't..." She repeated, hoping against hope that her Talent didn't cross the line yet again.

Minako shrugged helplessly. "He was cute..."

"Minako!" Michiru exclaimed in exasperation causing the startled singers on stage to stop singing. "This is the second time!"

"There are lots of great back-up singers out there." The blonde offered meekly.

"That's not the point!" Michiru groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. She was starting to get a headache. "You shouldn't form relationships with your co-workers if you have no intention of taking them seriously! And what if the brothers left you at the last minute? The Benefit would've been a disaster!"

"But they didn't and we're looking for more reliable singers right now."

"Whatever." Michiru sighed in resignation. Sometimes she wanted to throttle the other girl. She was the most irresponsible, the flightiest person she had ever met. Her boss was right when he warned her that she would have her hands full with this girl. It was a good thing for Minako that Michiru wasn't the type to give up on the job that easily. And she was lucky Minako seemed likeable when she wasn't acting like such a spoiled brat.

"What happened to them?" Katsuhiko, who had been silent throughout the exchange, suddenly leaned forward curiously. The eavesdropping singers did the same.

"None of your business!"

"You don't want to know."

The women snapped at the same time.

"Next!" Minako suddenly yelled, forgoing politeness as she waved the boys away. Her mood was starting to sour. Dejected, the participants left. They were replaced by three of the most beautiful men the pop star had ever seen. Minako knew she was drooling, oh it was shameless... But she couldn't help it.

"Hello, I'm Kou Seiya." The black-haired youth on the center boldly announced on the microphone. "This is Kou Yaten and Kou Taiki. We are also known as the Three Lights." There was no gushing about how fortunate they were to be graced by her presence, and there was no hint of nervousness... Minako liked them already.

Michiru's face was expressionless when she saw the dreamy look on her Star's face. Then out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of another figure a little behind her to the side. This one was dressed similarly in the same tuxedo as the Three Lights were wearing. He was scowling and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. At least... she assumed it was a 'he.' He was so androgynous.

"Excuse me," she called out, "aren't you going up on stage?"

"I'm not singing..." Came the grumbled answer. "I'm here to cheer them on." Though the way this boy said it made it sound like he was announcing his own death penalty.

The blonde tore her eyes away from the Three Lights to look at what her manager was fussing about. When her curious blue eyes met penetrating green, she gasped. The sensation those eyes evoked in her felt so strong it sent chills down her spine. Then it was broken when Michiru waved a hand in front of her face and called her name.

It felt like seconds... short and abrupt seconds. But the truth was, she had been staring at this boy for longer than it was appropriate. She finally noticed the odd look that everyone was giving her and felt her blood rush to her face. "Um... Y-you can proceed." She told the Three Lights and gave them a charming smile to cover up her embarrassment.

They began to sing, and their voices blended together perfectly. Michiru stood up. Minako watched her short and discreet journey towards the mysterious boy in surreptitious glances, only paying half-attention to the singers in front of them, who, Minako had to admit, were incredible!

Michiru and the stranger whispered furiously for a moment before they finally looked like they had come to an agreement. The aqua-haired woman returned to her seat while the boy quietly walked out of the room.

Minako wanted to cry out, to call him back and demand for his name. But she had a job to do first. She impatiently waited for the Three Lights to finish, firmly announced them as "perfect back-up singers" and congratulated them, before running out of the door.

There was a dumbfounded stillness in the function room for a moment before Seiya and Yaten cheered and hugged each other while Michiru and Taiki exchanged raised eyebrows. Katsuhiko simply sat there, confused as heck, but happy that the audition was finally done and over with.

* * *

Minako finally found him at the lobby, standing in front of a vending machine, his back turned to her. She hesitated. It did not occur to her before that she could've just asked the Three Lights what their companion's name was. But the overwhelming need to be near him was too powerful to resist. She was confused. Why did she feel this strongly about this stranger?

'Is this love at first sight?'

She shook her head at THAT preposterous thought. 'This is not a movie, Minako.' She scolded herself. 'This is pathetic... I should just leave.' And yet, she could not help but wonder at these curious feelings. It wasn't love... It couldn't be love... She did not feel any love or even like for him. How could she? She hardly knew him.

It felt more like a connection... a feeling of meeting a kindred spirit for the first time.

A kindred spirit... The idea made her feel strangely relieved-- the kind she could only feel on stage or with her best friend-- the only two things that gave her solace from her troubled world of business and neglect.

She quietly approached the boy, stopping just a few inches behind him. She watched him for a while. He did not seem to notice her; too engrossed was he at trying to decide which candy bar to get. She finally leaned slightly to the side to look at his face. He was cute, but not overly good-looking like the Three Lights she had been drooling over. "Excuse me..."

He jumped, and clutched at his chest in fright. "Kami!" He exclaimed before frowning down at her. "You scared the heck out of me!"

Minako did not answer at first and simply smiled at him. It took a moment for the recognition to light his eyes and when it did, he stepped back warily. The pop star was pleased. He obviously and finally realized who it was that was standing in front of him. "Um... What do you want?"

"Your name," she replied sweetly before tilting her head at him cutely. No one could resist Aino Minako when she was at her cutest.

But the boy frowned, and there was a flash of irritation in his face before it was replaced by a mask of forced politeness. "I'm sorry... But I don't give out my name to strangers."

'What?' Didn't this guy knew who she was? Minako was astonished but the sweet smile on her face remained unchanged as she offered her hand for a handshake. "Oh! I'm sorry. The name's Aino Minako."

"Pleased to meet you Aino Minako-san..." The boy replied politely and shook her hand briefly. He did not say anything further.

Minako was beginning to feel awkward as they both stared at each other. She was the first to look down however, feeling chagrined at the obvious dislike the other was emitting despite his respectful facade. She re-evaluated the scene all over again and keenly realized how her coyness might be misinterpreted as rudeness by this boy. She had to change her strategy.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled to her feet, "can we start over?" She took a deep breath before looking up at the boy shyly and offered her hand again. "Hi, my name is Aino Minako. Can I be your friend?"

This time, there was real warmth in the other's eyes and he gently clasped her hand again. "I'm Kino Makoto." He told her. "And that depends."

"Depends on what?" Minako could not help but feel her stomach tighten with anticipation. What could she do to get this guy to like her?

"It depends on what you think of my friends' awful singing voices."

The reply was so unexpected the blonde had to laugh out loud. "They're not awful. In fact, they're my new back-up singers now. They have wonderful voices."

"Heh..." Makoto's nose crinkled as he made a face. "You wouldn't say that if you heard them practicing day in and day out, Aino-san. Trust me, I'm growing deaf from listening to them." Of course he was grinning when he said this to show that he was only kidding around.

Suddenly a noise caught both of their attentions and they turned around to see the Three Lights hurrying towards them. "Oooooooi! Mako-chan! We made it, we made it!" Yaten yelled out exuberantly. Minako stepped aside as Seiya and Yaten gathered Makoto in their arms for a fierce group hug. Taiki approached them at a mellower pace and thus, was the first of the three siblings to notice the blonde's presence.

"Good afternoon Aino-sempai." He greeted her.

"Hi." Minako greeted back. Before she could open her mouth to speak, she heard someone call her name.

"Minako-chan!" Michiru briskly walked towards her and dragged her away from the others. "What kind of stunt did you just pull? You didn't even wait for the rest of us to evaluate them." She told Minako harshly.

"But they were great singers weren't they?" The other girl defended and glared back at her manager. "Don't make such a big deal about it."

Michiru took a deep breath before expelling it slowly and calmly. She pursed her lips in disapproval before quietly relenting, "Fine, Minako-chan. They were good. But don't make hasty decisions like that without our feedback again."

"Of course Kaioh-san..." Minako quirked her lips slightly, relieved to be let off the hook.

"Now let's go back and you can personally thank the rest of the people for coming, and bid them good bye." The older woman went on. Minako wanted to refuse, but she was not stupid enough to push her luck. Her manager was usually a reserved and controlled woman, and she was slow to anger. But when she did get angry... let's just say it wasn't an experience Minako wanted to repeat.

"Okay..." She answered compliantly before following Michiru back to the function room. She glanced at Makoto one last time to see that he was being dragged away by the others with every intention to celebrate. Their eyes met and they both smiled sadly, feeling oddly bereft to see the other leaving.

* * *

There was a minute of tension-filled silence before Yaten could not keep it in anymore and whirled around to stare at Makoto. The other girls behind her all came to an abrupt halt, and looked down at her curiously. "What... was... that?"

"What?" Makoto snapped back and shifted her eyes away from the shorter girl's knowing scrutiny.

"Yeeeeah... Hey what was that all about?" Seiya, like Yaten, finally gave in to her needling curiosity and asked. She swung an arm around Makoto's shoulder in an obnoxious gesture of over familiarity.

"What was WHAT about?" The brunette continued to play ignorant and shrugged Seiya's arm away before walking ahead of them.

"Oh no... Don't you run away missy!" Yaten called out and walked after her. "You and Miss Aino were making googly eyes at each other!"

"You're delusional..." Makoto barked out in laugher, but her cheeks started to redden at the implication. She stuffed her hands in her pockets and continued to storm forward. 'What the heck is this? I'm not LIKE that.'

Seiya and Taiki looked at each other before running after the girls. "Hey, it's okay Mako-chan." Taiki tried to soothe. "We understand."

"Understand what?" Makoto exclaimed, slowing down to a stop once more and looked at the sisters in exasperation. "There's nothing to understand! You guys are obviously reading too much into things!"

'Are we?' Taiki wanted to say but shrugged instead, she didn't want their friend to alienate them if they kept teasing and prodding her like this. Like Makoto, she valued her privacy and understood her reticence very well. But she had been wondering about what the other girl meant by her 'queer quadruplets' comment this morning. But she figured she could talk to Makoto about it only when the time was right.

"Alright, alright, forget it." She said, cutting in before the others could speak, "This is not the time to be picking on Mako-chan. We, ladies, are supposed to be celebrating."

"Yeah!" Seiya and Yaten chorused, the current issue momentarily forgotten. Makoto looked at her gratefully and nodded.

They started walking again.

The brunette was glad that the conversation was over. She had been disturbed by the whole thing more than she cared to admit. But she didn't want to talk or even think about it. 'There's nothing to think about.' She concluded with a small huff. 'Nothing at all...'

* * *

Author's Note+

Ah yeah... Before anyone flames me for exaggerating Minako's negative aspects-- let me explain by saying that I did this deliberately for an effective and realistic character development that you will witness in future chapters. It's all planned out in my head-- everything. So um... You don't have to worry about me doing any characters here any injustice.

My description of Roppongi is as accurate as my reading about it in the encyclopedia. I haven't really been there yet... Kusanagi Hotel is obviously a figment of my imagination.

The "-chama" suffix is a mix of -sama and -chan. It means you are calling someone with affection and respect-- it is usually meant to be humorous. "Bancho" is a title that is usually referred to a gang leader. And you must be wondering why Taiki called Minako 'sempai.' Well... Since the Lights are working for Minako now, it is only appropriate to call her sempai. It is used addressed to someone who is higher in the school or (in the Light's case) business hierarchy.

Okonomiyaki is a kind of Japanese pancake or pizza where the key ingredients are the sauce, the meat, the greens (usually the cabbage), the egg omelet-thingy and the Yakisoba (fried noodles).

... I really need a beta-reader... (weeps)

(EDITED)

Erm... Uh... I just noticed this morning when I re-read this chapter that I posted the unedited version. (fidgets in embarrassment) This is the edited chapter. I'm really sorry everyone. The only major change I put here was the part when Minako asked Makoto to be her friend again. Sorry for the inconvenience.


	4. Haiku 3: Meeting You Again

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_It is bittersweet.  
The way your fingers brushed mine.  
In a crowded room..._

* * *

**Haiku 3: Meeting You Again**

Life did not become any easier for Ami since her first confrontation with Nishikawa; she knew it wouldn't be from the very beginning. It was because of this reason that Ami decided it was safer to come to school earlier than necessary to avoid any unsupervised meetings with him. She would hide in the girl's bathroom until the bell rang and would wait thirty minutes more just to make sure their tardy teacher arrived at the classroom before she did. She was not surprised to know that her homeroom teacher didn't care if she was late.

She didn't leave the school unscathed, however. When everybody heard that she was Nishikawa's latest target, everyone else started to play pranks on her. They would put disgusting things in her locker. They would steal her lunch or her shoes. They would call her hurtful names and make up some disgusting stories about her while she was within hearing range. They haven't resorted to any physical bullying yet. But the meek, blue-haired girl knew that it was only a matter of time...

She hadn't seen the tall, brunette girl for three days since their collision at the entrance. She did not know how she felt about that. For some reason, she believed that the other girl would understand how she felt and what she was going through. She had an aura of grim determination... The resolute strength that only a person, who had experienced a lot of hardships, could ever have. The kind of tenacity and fierceness that Ami lacked and envied. But in spite of these rough qualities, she knew that the other girl was kind.

It was the way she looked at her, the way she spoke... apologetic and embarrassed for causing the both of them to fall that one fateful day-- the careful way she helped her up.

She wanted to meet her. She wanted to ask for her help.

She had asked herself before, 'Am I fooling myself? Am I assuming too much?' Deep down she knew she was. But she found she was hesitant to kill that little spark of hope in her. Once she did, she knew she was going to break down and cry.

Everyday for three days, she would look around the sea of indifferent faces in hopes of catching a glimpse of the infamous Makoto and worried over her absence when she didn't show up.

On the fourth day, she was late for school. It hadn't been her fault really... She had woken up as early as always, but her dad had gotten sick and she had to prepare the things a sick person would need before heading off to school.

She was walking towards the entrance, possessively clutching her brown-leather book bag. She was not letting go of it any time soon. It the last thing her parents bought for her together as Christmas gift for her before they divorced. It was the only thing, besides her dwindling hope for Makoto's reappearance, which kept her going.

Then she noticed a couple of students loitering just outside the gate, watching everyone else walk through. Ami stopped and swallowed hard when she recognized their sneering and bandaged faces.

"Look! It's frickin' her!" Usui suddenly exclaimed and pointed in her direction and Nishikawa, Endo and Inouye all turned to look. The first one to smile was Nishikawa. He seemed almost pleased to see her.

Ami took a step back, about to run away, when she bumped against someone. She whirled around quickly to see Makoto stare right back at her, her deceptively slender hands had abruptly grabbed on to the smaller girl's shoulders to keep her from stumbling.

"You never watch where you're going, do you?" Makoto muttered, sounding a little annoyed and amused at the same time. When she looked back up to the other guys, her frown deepened. "Great... I shouldn't have come back." Despite the regret in those words, and the noticeable reluctance on her face, she strode on ahead-- leaving Ami to stare after her in surprise.

The blue-haired girl was so relieved to see her, she wanted to cry. But instead, she hurried after Makoto and settled in a steady pace behind her. The bullies at the gate laughed at this.

"Oi!" Inouye, the boy with the dreadlocks, called out, "Kino-yaro! Is that your new bitch! Can we borrow her to play with, sometime?" Ami felt her cheeks heat up in humiliation.

"Shut up you bastards or I'll shut it for you..." Makoto growled as she walked past them and through the gate. The smaller girl wanted to smile at her and thank her for defending her, but she felt her self being yanked to one side and was pulled against a large and muscular body.

"So you don't mind? Nishikawa called out to Makoto as he ran his hand through Ami's hair. She cringed at his touch and tried to pull away. But the behemoth Endo, who had locked her arms behind her back, was freakishly strong and held her fast.

"No, please!" She whimpered. She looked towards Makoto and was shocked to see her continue to walk away without even leaving a backward glance. "No!" She yelled desperately and redoubled her efforts to get away. "Kino-san!" She cried out. She saw the brunette stop before she could walk through the school building's entrance. The tall girl finally turned her head to look at her. Ami's eyes were wide with disbelief when she saw the apathy in her face, mirroring everyone else's expressions as they passed by and pretended not to notice her. Ami felt the ground leave her and only Endo's firm grip kept her from crumpling to the ground.

Makoto shrugged and disappeared inside.

Nishikawa stood to block her view and crossed his arms over his proud chest. He looked down at her with a smirk. "Well, well... Looks like your girlfriend doesn't care about you after all." He leaned in close to stare into her frightened eyes, conveying every dark intention he had for her in his angry gaze.

She began to tremble. Her knees weakened under the force of this boy's animosity. It was like he was full of hatred for everything and everyone. But there was also pleasure in his malicious regard for her as he fed off on her fear. Finally he nodded over to Endo. The large boy nodded back before he pushed Ami away roughly-- wrenching the book bag out of her hands in the process.

She fell to the ground and grazed her elbow against the cracked surface of the pavement. She yelped and clutched at the wound as it began to bleed. Endo quirked a humorless smile at her. "We'll be taking this." He told her as he held out the bag for her to see.

Usui cackled and grabbed it away from his hands. "Did she bring her frickin' lunch? It better be frickin' delicious 'cuz I'm frickin' hungry!" He tore her bag open and fished around inside, throwing papers and pencils away which impeded his search. Inouye, oddly enough, bent to pick up the pencils which he stuffed inside his pocket.

"No! Please! That's my homework!" Ami was in tears as she stumbled to her feet and tried to grab her bag back. Nishikawa snatched it before she could and held it over her head.

"Homework! Are you listening to this?" He jeered and wrapped his hand around her head to keep her at arm's length. "She's actually DOING her homework! What a nerd!"

Ami flailed her arms in a frantic effort to grab any part of her bag and accidentally hit the side of Nishikawa's face. She gasped and froze. The hand over her face tightened to a painful degree before it released her. Then, without warning, it lashed out to smack her right back with a vengeance. She fell to the ground again. Her head was swimming with pain and dizziness.

"Bitch!" Nishikawa made to lunge at her, but Endo quickly rushed to grab him around the waist and lifted him back.

"Whoah! Aniki! Don't go too far!"

"Yeah, too many frickin' outside witnesses, bro!"

"Fuck! Let go of me!"

"Shit... Let's just get out of here..."

Ami did not notice Nishikawa throw the bag at her, which bounced harmlessly off her head. She did not notice them leave. She even did not notice how everyone else jostled her as they walked past.

Numb, she shakily wiped the tears from her face, stood up and stared hollowly at the clear and sunny sky.

* * *

The classroom was buzzing as almost all of the students gathered around the windows to watch the events unfold outside. Makoto entered the room in such a setting. She ignored the whispers around her as she went to her seat and sat down.

She was in a foul mood. Earlier this morning, Seiya and Yaten kept teasing her about her unintentional tête-à-tête with Aino Minako. She was forced to escape them by finally going to school. Then, she had an encounter with four of her LEAST favorite people in the world. And what's worse... it looked like the new girl was brought into the middle of the madness.

Makoto felt a little guilty about that. But then again, she really had nothing to do with the girl. SHE was the one who approached her-- for reasons the tall girl could not fathom-- who obviously knew WHO she was and probably knew about her reputation. The stupid ones, bearing all these things in mind, knew it wasn't a good idea to get near her or they would find themselves sucked into the conflict. Heck... Even Makoto knew that herself-- which was why she never dared help anyone in fear of worsening their fates. Was this new girl even stupider? She had to wonder though, what the other girl did to merit Nishikawa's attention like that.

"Whoah shit! He hit her!"

Makoto's head snapped up at that. 'What!' She shot to her feet and stormed over to the window in time to see the blue-haired girl go down. She winced, feeling guiltier and guiltier for leaving her helpless at Nishikawa's mercy. She did not expect the stupid idiot to go that far though. She knew him to be the type to only resort to physical violence if he was hurt first.

"Damn it!" She yelled and ran out of the classroom, startling a few of her classmates nearby. By the time she was outside, Nishikawa and his gang, and the new girl were nowhere to be seen. She looked around just to make sure. She did not even catch a glimpse of her. Her shoulders sagged with defeat, the guilt weighing it down even further. She could not give up. What if the others dragged her away somewhere to pummel her to pieces?

Then she caught sight of a boy who was sipping at his juice box, watching her from his spot near the entrance. She realized had seen him when she walked in earlier. Her eyes gleamed as she moved towards him.

The boy, upon seeing Makoto approach, choked on his juice. Coughing, he tried to run away but the she had already grabbed him by scruff of his neck and forcefully pulled him towards her. "Where is she!" She snarled into his face. "And don't you even dare pull one over me. I know you've seen them!"

"S-she went th-tha-that way." The boy pointed a quivering finger to his left. "W-went straight ah-ahead." She dropped him on his ass and ran in the direction where he pointed. She hoped she was not too late.

She ran straight down the road, whipping her head back and forth for any possible places that one could drag someone away from prying eyes. Just when she was about to go inside an alley, she caught a glimpse of blue-hair and stopped. She stood, gasping for breath, a few meters in front of the town center's fountain.

There she was, ALONE and safe, sitting on the fountain with her head bent down and her arms wrapped tightly around a battered bag.

Makoto approached her cautiously and paused when the other's head shot up. She frowned when she caught sight of a darkening bruise near her right jaw. Then she steeled her nerves and took careful inventory of the girl's body. Other than the bruise on her jaw and the small, bloody scratch on her right elbow, she seemed relatively unharmed.

Makoto tried to approach again and felt ashamed when the other girl flinched back. She held her hands up in a mollifying gesture. "It's okay." She told her softly and carefully moved towards her again. The girl stiffened but did not move away when Makoto sat beside her, keeping a respectful distance between them.

Silence reigned for a few minutes as both tried to gather their thoughts in regards to the unfortunate events earlier. Finally, Makoto decided to speak first and quietly told her, "I'm sorry." She waited for a few tense moments before Ami replied, in a small and broken voice...

"Why?"

'Why?' The brunette thought. Why didn't she help her? Why was she here now? She decided to answer the easier one and tried to meet her eyes, to try and express her sincerity, with no success. "So you wouldn't get hurt."

Ami practically crumbled before her eyes.

The smaller girl hugged her bag even tighter, and burrowed into a small, protective ball to try to keep the pieces of herself together. She wanted to laugh at the stupidity of the answer but was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't stop. "I got hurt." She retorted, her voice quiet but accusatory.

Makoto looked away from her, her lips twisting in a small self-deprecating smile. "It would've been worse if I helped you." She knew that, and yet she could not help but feel like she had just betrayed her.

Ami could not and would not understand. She was feeling numb to the point of not caring about anything anymore. She just wanted to go home, into the solace of her room and immerse herself in her father's Art books. But her father... Her sick father would be worried if he saw her and could not find it in herself to go home in such a pathetic state.

She started when Makoto rose and offered her hand to her. She looked at the appendage dumbly before looking up at her questioningly. She saw the kind smile on the other's face, which seemed rather forced. But she could also see the effort behind it. "Let's go to the Crown."

"Why?" Ami asked warily.

Makoto shrugged, feeling awkward and a little lost. She really didn't know how to comfort the other girl, or how to redeem herself for her grievous error. She could only try to help Ami forget about what happened. Frankly, Makoto felt incompetent when it came to this kind situation with another person involved. She was so used to being independent for so long that she did not know how to show compassion to anyone anymore. "I don't know... Seems like fun... And we both need it now anyway."

Ami looked down unsure. She was not sure she could trust Makoto anymore. She felt a finger tap against the top of her skull and had to acknowledge it. She felt her heart stop when she saw Makoto's gentle and apologetic face. Something clicked... just like the first time they met. She knew, deep inside her, that Makoto would never abandon her again.

The hopes, that she thought had died earlier, were rekindled in that instance. She smiled shyly up at the taller girl and answered, "Alright..."

Makoto nodded, and felt some of the guilty weight lift off her shoulders. "Good." She answered back with a relieved smile. She reached down to take Ami's hands, who blushed at the sudden contact. The blue-haired girl looked up at Makoto, feeling strangely nervous at how intently she seemed to be looking at her arm. She wasn't sure what to make out of her expression when she saw a hint of remorse flash in her eyes.

"I really mean it you know?" Makoto whispered quietly as she took out a small, white handkerchief from her skirt's hidden pocket and carefully wrapped it around the wound on Ami's elbow. Her fingers lingered over the cloth, over the wound, as she looked into the smaller girl's wide blue eyes. "I don't know your name."

"I know. I forgive you." Ami told her, looking down to hide the blush that was beginning to spread across her face. 'Makoto's touch...' She marveled, her heart racing at the thought. She would treasure this wonderful feeling for a long, long time. When she looked up she was grinning. "My friends call me Ami. Mizuno Ami."

* * *

Makoto was scowling. Ami was giggling beside her but she had to stop because it hurt her jaw.

"I hate this game!" The brunette exclaimed and kicked at the offending machine and crossed her arms sulkily. "I bet it's rigged."

Ami tried really hard not to smile and asked to try her hand at the game. Makoto stood back and watched in disbelief as the other girl manipulated the Crane Machine's claw with ease and lifted a bright pink rabbit plushie among the other toys. She dropped the toy inside the hole then bent to retrieve it through the little black flap on the bottom of the glass. She held the rabbit plushie in front of Makoto's face.

The brunette did not say anything for a long, long time and Ami was suddenly afraid she might have angered the other girl. Suddenly, Makoto grabbed her hand and held it palm up before placing several more coins inside it. "Hey, can you win some more?"

"Um... I can try..." Ami answered, looking down and blushing. Then she proceeded to win as much plushies as she could for Makoto. When they returned to their booth, the taller girl practically carried an arm-full of colorful plushies.

Both of the girls sat across from each other, so it was clear for Ami to see how pleased Makoto seemed to be with her new treasures. "I didn't take you for a plushie maniac, Kino-san."

"I'm not." The brunette looked aghast at the thought. "But it's such a bargain to get these many plushies for only 50 yen each... You could say I love bargains."

Ami was so happy to be able to see this new side of Makoto, she was practically beaming. She had never desired to know someone as much as she wanted to know about the girl in front of her. She decided, secretly to herself, that she would do anything to become her friend and be close to her.

"Really?" She leaned forward slightly in anticipation as she asked the following question, "what else does Kino-san love?"

Makoto thought for a minute, before shrugging and answering, "Well... I love to cook. There's not much to cook in my place though. I'm not exactly that well-off." She looked at Ami pointedly, "Like most of the kids in Juuban."

The smaller girl nodded, "I know what you mean. You could say I'm on the same boat as you are. But it hadn't always been like that." She looked up to see if the other girl would care to listen to her story and found Makoto looking right back at her patiently. "I lived in a condominium. I used to study in Mugen Gakuen. I was one of the top ten smartest students in school."

"And let me guess..." Makoto smirked, resting her chin on the palm of her hand as she tilted her head to look down at Ami in amusement. "You had lots of friends, you had loving parents, you had a great life..." She could not help it. The picture perfect description made her bitter inside. Of course she would not show that to Ami. She bottled her negative feelings inside with practiced ease.

Then she realized that Ami had suddenly grown quiet and wondered if she just said something offensive.

"My... My parents divorced. And I have no other friends except my best friend... People just don't like me I guess." Ami lowered her eyes, ashamed at the ineptitude of her existence.

Makoto wanted to kick herself. She should've known that one of the reasons why Ami came to a school like Juuban was because of something like that. She had no right to impose her bitterness on the other girl. "I'm sorry." She told her. "Kami, I seem to be doing you a lot of wrong today."

"No, no, Kino-san." Ami shook her head furiously and smiled at her. "You couldn't have known."

"But..."

"Look, friends forgive each other. So it's okay." She watched, and was slightly alarmed at how quickly an unreadable mask came over Makoto's face. She anxiously bowed her head several times as she apologized fervently, "I'm so sorry! I am assuming too much. I know you don't really consider me as a friend, Kino-san. I'm really sorry." When she was done, she kept her head down in sorrow. She knew it was just too good to be true. A self-reliant person like Makoto had no need for a weakling like her.

For the brunette's part, she was afraid and unsure. To be friends with Ami would mean signing the girl's own death warrant. Makoto had a lot of enemies, she had a past she could not run away from, and felt she would only bring people down with all the extra baggage she was carrying.

"Mizuno-san," Makoto began quietly, "I'll only hurt you. I can't be your friend."

"How will you hurt me?" Ami asked just as softly, slowly straightening to look at the other girl through her eyelashes. "You're the first person to show kindness to me since I came to Juuban. You came after me earlier because you were worried about me. How can such a compassionate person like you hurt me?"

"I have a lot of enemies. If they find out you're my friend, they will come after you."

"Then I will not leave your side."

"That's crazy!"

"It seems that way." The blue-haired answered back adamantly. Makoto did not outright reject her friendship, which gave her the hope that she might just win her over if she was stubborn enough. But the brunette just shook her head and rose to leave.

Ami was desperate now. If Makoto left, she would never get another chance. "Even if I have to put up with people like Nishikawa, I am not leaving you alone until you like me!" She yelled to the sudden silence of the restaurant.

Makoto stared down at her, stunned. Ami stared back at her, red-faced and embarrassed but firm and unyielding. The brunette could feel her resolve weakening, the beginnings of a real smile started to twitch at the corner of her lips. When she sat back down, conversation in the restaurant resumed. "You're so annoying, you know that?" Makoto half-complained and half-complimented.

"So I've been told." Came the sheepish reply.

"It's not going to be easy though..." The taller girl added seriously.

"Nothing ever is." Ami answered knowingly.

* * *

Minako was exhausted when she came home to her empty room in the hotel. She had decided to stay another night in Roppongi, and had been partying herself to the bone. She also met a lot of great-looking guys tonight and had a grand time being gushed over and worshipped. More than once, however, she found her thoughts straying to a certain green-eyed boy.

She wondered if she would ever see him again. If she did what would she do? What did she want from him? Why DID she want him? These are questions she had no answers for and frankly, these nagging thoughts annoyed her. She had to come to a solution fast or she would drive herself nuts over it!

She threw herself on the bed with a tired groan and closed her eyes. She waited for sleep to take her and was about to slip into deep slumber when her cell phone rang. She ignored it for a moment, willing the ringer to stop-- but the damn thing continued ring. She rolled over, grabbed the offending object and was about to punch a button to turn it off when she noticed who it that was calling, the name flashing clearly on the phone's glowing LCD.

With another groan, she answered the phone. "You better have a damn good reason to call me up this late, Ami-chan..."

"Late? It's only 9 o' clock Mina-chan."

Minako rolled her eyes. She had been partying non-stop SINCE last night. But she didn't want to tell her overprotective best friend and have her fret over her. "Yeah whatever... I had a long day, that's why. So what's up?"

"I..." The voice on the other line was bashful which caused the blonde to perk up in curiosity. "I met someone."

"Whaaaaaaaaaat!" Minako squealed and rolled on to her back in giddy surprise. "You dawg! You have a boyfriend now? Why didn't you tell me sooner? Is he hot? What's his name? I better meet him first before I deem him worthy enough for your affections, Ami-chan!"

"Mina-chan..." Ami's laughter echoed against her ear. "It's not a boyfriend. It's um... I met a new friend, that's all."

"A friend, eh?" Minako repeated slyly, not convinced in the least. There was just something in her friend's voice that implied at something deeper. "Are you sure? Maaaaybe you have a crush on this friend..."

Silence.

'Bingo.' The blonde smirked. "C'mon! What's his name?'

"It's um..." There was a long pause before Ami continued shyly, "it's Makoto-san..."

Minako felt faint and nearly dropped the phone. "W-what?"

"I said her name is Makoto-san."

'Her?' She thought, expelling a breath in relief. The insinuation of her best friend's crush's gender did not even register in her tired brain. What was wrong with her? Makoto is such a common name... Why did she have to practically swoon like a school girl with a crush when someone else mentions it? She was disgusted with herself.

"Is everything alright over there, Mina-chan?"

"Yeah, yeah... I... Look, I think I'm more tired than I thought. Maybe we could continue this conversation some other time?"

"Of course, Mina-chan. I shouldn't keep you up."

"I love ya, Ami-babe!"

"Love you too, Mina-chan."

Minako hung up and groaned into her pillow.

* * *

+Author's Note+

What have I done to Ami-chan! (wails) I am too cruel! Shame on me! Shame on me! I hate myself for writing this part... But it was necessary! TT The things I must sacrifice for the good of the story... Ami-chaaaaaaan! Forgive meeeeeeeeeeeee! (wails again)

Ignore me... I lack sleep...

Ahem...

The "-yaro" suffix means that you're calling someone a bastard.

Kami means god. Mugen Gakuen roughly translates as Infinite Academy.


	5. Haiku 4: Stuck Between Two Worlds

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_Time flows like a stream.  
I'm quietly swept away.  
Under the moonlight..._

* * *

**Haiku 4: Stuck Between Two Worlds**

Rei had strained the last of her patience. If one more person had to ask her if she "remembered anything" she was going to scream.

Everything was so overwhelmingly unfamiliar. At least she recognized common objects like furniture, and things like birds and trees... She could even name something as complex as the IV that was stuck to her arm. They called it Psychogenic Amnesia. She called it an inconvenience. Her "father" did not realize all this though, and made the mistake of bringing flash cards to help Rei along. Deeply insulted, she nearly flung the offending objects back at him. Hell... She was amnesiac, not retarded!

She was beginning to hate her stay in the hospital. The itchy cast on her broken right arm, and the annoyingly perky nurses were driving her crazy. She would rather brave the unknown than stay another minute surrounded by these patronizing idiots. If she weren't drugged with medicine most of the time, she would walk out the door herself. And what was up with all the medication anyway? She knew for certain that head-trauma was not terminal... least of all hers.

While Rei was stewing over these thoughts in her bed, Dr. Mizuno smiled slightly beside her. The truth was, her patient was already well enough to be discharged from the hospital. But her overprotective father had insisted that his daughter stay in the hospital for a few more days in case the doctors missed something.

Kaori knew he meant well and was worried about the young girl's current state of memory loss... but he really was overreacting too much. "Do you feel any pain, Rei-chan? Migraines?"

"No..." Rei answered, sounding almost petulant. "I'm 'perfectly' fine." The doctor nodded neutrally and scribbled something on her clipboard. "Mizuno-sensei..." The young girl began seriously, "I want to leave."

"I'm afraid that's up to your father," Kaori told her. "But don't worry; you'll be able to leave soon." She nodded to the other girl before she walked out of the room.

Rei watched her leave with a frown. 'Cold woman...' She thought before shifting around in her bed uncomfortably. She wished she had television in the room... or even a radio. But she had none of those because "that stupid man" deemed that it was too much for her poor, damaged brain to handle. She wondered if the patriarchal man had always been like that... He was so irrational.

She looked out of the window and jerked in surprise. She had seen something, or rather someone-- a flash of long, blonde hair. 'What the...?' But she knew that her room was three stories high. She struggled out of bed, and dragged the IV with her towards the window. Something was compelling her to check. Curiosity? A certainty that she really had seen someone and simply wanted to confirm it with her own eyes?

When she looked outside, she saw nothing unusual. Of course! What else did she expect?

She was about to turn away, and return to her bed, when she saw it again. She followed the figure with astonished eyes as a blonde-haired girl, with strange-looking pigtails who wore a peculiar sailor uniform, ran down the road away from the hospital building. What was bizarre about this otherwise normal sight was the fact that this girl was nearly transparent and that her movements were caught in slow motion.

'Rabbit...' The thought came unbidden in her mind. She blinked and shook her head. Then checked to see if the apparition was still there. Nothing. It was gone. 'I must've hit my head harder than I thought... I'm having hallucinations.' She shook her head again-- troubled with this weird, new development.

* * *

Friday... Her father finally relented to have her discharged from the hospital on Friday. Well... today was that day and no one showed up. For some odd reason, Rei felt that this sort of thing was familiar. She felt uncomfortable waiting alone in the Hospital lobby and regretted chasing away the fussy nurse that was assigned to watch her. The people that would pass through the doors, especially the sick ones, were making her feel very ill.

One case stood out of the rest... One child was wheeled in. She seemed to be locked in some kind of happy trance. The small girl looked at her with an open-mouthed smile, saliva dripping down one corner of her lip. She overheard the doctors call it the "Gaudium Syndrome." She had quickly looked away, completely unnerved by the happy emptiness in the child's eyes.

After waiting for almost an hour, the dark-haired girl had finally had it and stood up. She could not take being inside this clinical prison for another minute. A yellow convertible, a Mazda Miata, pulled up alongside the curb just when Rei walked outside. "Hey lady, want a ride?" The sandy blonde-haired driver called out cheekily, dark green eyes twinkling.

Rei paused and stared at the driver for a while, a rather good-looking man at that, suspicious and intrigued at the same time. "Do I know you?"

"I work for your father." When he stepped out of the car, Rei was amazed to realize that he was actually a 'she.' Sure she was tall, had boyish-cut hair, and was wearing mannish khaki slacks with a loose, white button-down shirt... But the roundness of her breasts that hinted below her shirt was obvious to those who looked. "I'm Ten'ou Haruka. Your father called me a few minutes ago to pick you up."

"A few minutes ago? I was waiting for almost an hour!"

"Really?" The amiable smile on the handsome woman's face fell, and was replaced by a contrite one. "Your father was probably held up in an extremely important meeting and just recently managed to get out of it to call me to pick you up." Rei could not help but feel that the words seemed like a white lie. No... She KNEW it was a white lie.

She let out an aggrieved sigh before walking around the car and got in. Haruka got in as well and drove out of the Hospital and onto the main road. The blonde could not help but glance at Rei at the corner of her eye. She was sure Yasujiro had told her that his daughter had amnesia... But Rei was acting like Rei, who did not seem surprised by Haruka's convincing excuses-- as if she had heard them before. She knew that the young girl was extremely perceptive before the accident but this was just a little eerie.

"Do you remember anything, Rei-dono?" Haruka ventured out, testing the waters.

"If you ask me that question one more time... I'm going to stick my foot in your mouth..." Rei whispered dangerously, not even looking in the blonde's direction when she said that.

Haruka smirked. Rei was Rei... Amnesiac or not. "Sorry, I just had to ask."

"Why?"

"Well... You're acting like your normally peachy self; I thought your father was lying when he said you had amnesia."

That finally brought a smile to Rei's face, albeit a self-deprecating one. "I was always that grumpy?"

"Only on your better days." Haruka joked while she turned the car to the left at a less busy intersection and skillfully maneuvered them around the other stagnant cars. "Would you like something to eat before you meet up with your father? I bet you hardly even ate that cardboard-flavored junk they serve in the hospital. I know I wouldn't."

"Yeah... I'd like that." The dark-haired answered gratefully.

She never took her eyes away from the scenery that flashed in front of her as the car sped ahead. She felt like a tourist as she admired the unfamiliar and beautiful shops and restaurants that lined the streets. She admired the goods that she would catch glimpses of, within these buildings. She inwardly vowed to re-acquaint herself to this wonderful place... if her father did not decide to lock her in some house for her own safety. She rolled her eyes at that probability.

The car slowed down to a stop in front of a restaurant called Anna Miller. "We used to always eat here together. So don't be surprised if some of the waitresses recognize us." Haruka told her, a strange-- almost impish grin on her face, as she held the door for her younger charge. Rei was looking at her oddly as she walked inside, so she did not see some of the available waitresses suddenly perk up and moved towards them.

"Good afternoon!" They greeted brightly, startling Rei. The dark-haired girl's eyes widened when she finally took in their appearances-- especially the exaggerated emphasis on their breasts and legs by the cut of their rather short uniforms. The ribbon above the butt... It was just so, so huge! 'Oh my god...' She thought.

"Haruka-chan! Rei-sama!" A short and cute red-haired waitress suddenly launched herself towards Rei and wrapped her arms around her neck, careful to not jar the cast between their bodies. "Rei-sama! I was so worried! I thought that I would never see you again!" She pulled away, their faces inches from each other, to pout at the older girl. "You made Naru-chan cry. Boo...!"

'Wha--!' Rei was dumbstruck, flinching away from the other girl's nearness-- which was hard to do since she was wrapped around her like an octopus.

"Whoah there, Osaka-chan! Rei-dono just got out of the hospital." Haruka laughed, stepping behind the red-head named Osaka Naru, and pried her away from the other girl. Naru immediately latched on to Haruka, blushing like a happy bride in her arms.

"Haruka-chan! You're so mean! You haven't visited us for a while! Naru-chan missed you!"

"You did? But why would such a pretty girl like you miss someone like me? Don't you have dashing suitors pounding away at your doorstep everyday?" The blonde was practically oozing with charm as she smiled down at the smaller girl flirtatiously.

Rei shook her head at this public display of affection and went ahead to look for an available table. A few minutes later, Haruka joined her and sat across from her. She had a sheepish expression on her face when she met Rei's arched eyebrow.

Naru appeared beside them and put a couple of menus in front of them. Then she whipped out her little notepad and pen, and finally put on a professionally cute air that was Anna Miller's trademark. "What would you like to order?"

Haruka did not touch her menu, knowing what to order already. She waited patiently as Rei perused hers. "Uh... I'd like the club sandwich and some iced tea please." The dark-haired girl told her.

"Same here." Haruka added.

Naru jotted the orders down in her notepad. "Is that all?" She saw her customers nod. "Thank you. The food will be served in a few minutes." The red-head bounced away, but not before winking at Haruka.

The table was silent for a moment. Rei could not help but stare at the waitresses that passed by. 'Such tight shirts...' She thought. 'How can they breathe in that thing?' She turned around to see her companion looking back at her intently. She was annoyed to feel embarrassed to be caught staring like a hormonal pubescent boy and looked around again, this time, nonchalantly observing the kind of people who ate here.

Otaku...

They were everywhere. What kind of place was this! "THIS is where we eat most of the time?" Rei asked incredulously.

"ALL the time actually." Haruka answered, stifling a chuckle. She was extremely amused at how fidgety Rei seemed, especially when she looked like she was trying hard not to look at the suggestively-uniformed girls. "You can look all you want, you know? The waitresses here are used to it. Touching them is a big no-no though." She grinned when the other girl flashed her a glare.

"Are you sure? Because one of them was willing enough to be touched by you." Rei retorted sarcastically. The blonde blushed at this.

"Yeah... I get that a lot."

"I bet..." The younger girl muttered under her breath. Out loud, she said, "Does 'Naru-chan' know you're a girl?" Haruka nodded. "Why do you dress like that?"

The blonde looked mildly offended at that. "Hey, it's not exactly the latest thing to hit the stores but it's comfortable."

"No, I mean-- forget it..." And Rei had accused Haruka of putting her foot in her mouth earlier. She was no different. Feeling like a fool, she refused to meet the other's eyes.

'Jeez... Defensive much?' Haruka thought, chagrined. She kept forgetting that Rei was like a newborn--everything was new to her. "Look Rei-dono," she began, "it's really quite simple. I am a boy trapped in a girl's body." She had said the words humorously, but she was alarmed to see the blood drain from Rei's face.

"So um..." The younger girl started, and Haruka was afraid that she was going to ask her the dreaded question. "You said we ate here together a lot. Are... Are we together?"

At first, the blonde was confused with the question. She had not been expecting that one. Then she realized what exactly it was that Rei had asked and doubled over in laughter. "Kami... NO! Your father is going to kill me if we were! What made you think we were a couple anyway?"

By now, Rei was wishing really hard that the ground would rise up and swallow her whole. She had never felt so mortified-- by her own audacity and foolishness to ask such a ridiculous question. "Sorry," she mumbled, "I'm just grasping at straws here... I was just trying to find out what kind of person I am and what kind of life I was supposed to lead..."

"You don't have to rush, Rei-dono." Haruka offered sympathetically. "You'll learn more about yourself, little by little, in due time."

"Yeah..."

There was a short and uncomfortable pause which Naru interrupted when she came back. "Here are your orders!" She announced cheerfully and arranged the food and drinks in front of the pair. She turned to Rei and sweetly spoke to her before she left them again, "It's great seeing you again, Rei-sama."

Rei, fearing the worst, pointed at the retreating girl's back and queried, "Are we...?"

"Hell no." Haruka chuckled. "She's not your type."

* * *

The assembly hall of TA Gakuen bustling with students. There were a lot of excited whispers. There was a rumor going around that their idol was back and that she would be addressing everyone today. Of course, it was just a rumor with the prospect that it couldn't be true. Of course, as rumors went-- 50 of them were true.

Hino Rei was returning to school-- just not today. And it was the headmaster who had everyone gathered in hall to address the issue regarding the girl, himself.

"Good morning, everyone." He spoke, his nasal voice resonating in the loudspeakers. "As you all know, on the unfortunate night, a week and a half ago, one of our dear students was involved in a car accident. She lay unconscious, but recovering, in the hospital for two days. Well... She will be returning next week.

"Yes, you heard me clearly. Statesman Hino's daughter will be coming back to school on Monday. Now, the reason why I gathered you here today was to tell you that I expect each and every one of you to treat Hino Rei-san with sensitivity and tact. I have been told that she has amnesia due to her head-trauma. Bearing these things in mind... You should treat her accordingly.

"Now... Are there any questions?"

The hall erupted with raised hands and voices.

* * *

"He... WHAT!" Monday morning, her 'first' day of school... and she was already wishing she had not left the hospital. 'Of all the infuriating things...' Rei stormed into her father's study, Haruka hurriedly rushing after her and trying to intervene.

"I'm sure your father meant well..." The blonde began only to be cut off.

"Are you trying to run a freak show... 'Dad?'" Rei demanded angrily, approaching her oddly calm father sitting behind a large, red Mahogany desk. "Am I the main attraction?"

"Of course not, Rei-chan." Yasujiro answered serenely.

"Then WHY did you call my school and asked the staff to tell EVERYBODY that I'm brain-damaged!" Rei started pacing, too furious to stay in one place. She was so tempted to hit her father over the head with her cast. What had he been thinking!

"Alright, first of all you're not brain-damaged." The older man looked upset with that and was trying to use the most soothing voice he had possible. "And I was only trying to make sure your classmates won't hurt you or take advantage of your... condition."

"Did you ever stop to think that I can handle myself? GOD! What am I? Incompetent? Helpless? I don't need everyone in school to recognize that I'm the retarded one they had heard about and start pointing fingers at me!"

"Stop saying those things about yourself! You're not like that!"

"Did you tell YOURSELF that!"

Haruka had buried her face in her hand. What a mess... She should've just kept her big mouth shut when Rei had voiced her concerns over her re-integration to a school life that she could not remember. She could not look at the arguing father and daughter. But she could feel Yasujiro's accusing eyes boring holes into her head.

Finally the blonde pulled her hand away and yelled to be heard over the shouting match. "You're going to be late for school, Rei-dono!"

"Fine!" Rei spat back and stomped out of the room.

Haruka turned to her boss. "Sir... I'll be driving Rei-dono to school now."

"Fine!" Yasujiro snapped before rolling the chair to face the window, hiding his tense form from view.

Without another word, the blonde left the room quickly.

Rei ignored her for the rest of the drive. When they finally arrived in TA Gakuen, she jumped out of the car before the blonde could speak or apologize. When she walked through TA's grand and intricately designed entrance gates, she was instantly surrounded by school girls talking all at once.

"Rei-sama! Welcome back!"

"Rei-sama, how are you?"

"If you need any help, Rei-sama, just ask me!"

"Rei-sama!"

"Rei-sama!"

The dark-haired tried to shield her broken arm from their enthusiastic expression of female adoration and tried to push through the crowd with little success. Finally, her already frayed patience spent, she screamed, "BACK OFF!"

Just as the nearby girls instinctively stepped back in surprise at her vehemence, Rei felt herself being scooped up in protective arms and was quickly carried through the mass and into the main building's entrance where Haruka finally let her down.

"Thanks..." Rei looked up at the taller woman with awe and gratitude.

"No need." The blonde answered, smiling sheepishly. "I was just making it up to you for not stopping your father's foolhardy idea."

Rei thwacked her shoulder harmlessly for that one. "Yeah... Whatever... Get out of here."

"Sure thing, princess." The other woman winked. "I'll be picking you up later. And I might probably do that literally if the afternoon is anything like this morning. Until then... Gambatte, Rei-dono!"

Rei nodded, took a deep breath to gather her courage, and entered the building like she was approaching the gallows. Haruka mentally wished her luck one more time before turning around to walk in the opposite direction.

* * *

As a doctor, Mizuno Kaori knew she must keep a certain professional distance from her patients. But treating patients with the Gaudium Syndrome was making it hard for her to keep detached. In fact she was close to feeling more than a little worried and anxious.

She watched the patients through the glass window of the ICU. The ward was full to capacity with people with Gaudium Syndrome and more were coming everyday. As far as the research department knew, there was no cure for this weird psychological illness. Was there an epidemic? Was this simply mass hysteria? But what could cause such a thing?

She turned her attention to a child, the latest one who was brought in.

A Jane Doe-- most likely a street urchin judging by the rags that she wore-- was found standing, catatonic, in the middle of the road-- the cars speeding and blaring their horns past her until a concerned bystander was finally smart enough to realize that something was wrong with this little girl.

So far, out of everyone with the illness, she was the most responsive. The research department, whom Kaori was actually a part of, wanted to bring her to their private facilities to perform tests on her. Kaori shook her head in pity at the little girl's impending fate. A lab rat, she was going to be... But she was no one... A street kid was not going to be missed.

She turned away from the window and left. She did not notice a small figure appear beside the Jane Doe's bed.

The little girl turned towards the newcomer, smiling happily. If only Kaori had stuck around, she would've witnessed a miracle. The child spoke. "Deedee-onee-chan."

"Hello Dumdum-onee-chan." The mirror image of the girl, this one who had inky-black hair instead of platinum-blonde like the other, spoke. "Did you have a nice tour?"

"Yes, onee-chan. The people in this world were very nice to me."

The other twin slapped her hard. "Idiot! They are all faking it! This world is as crummy as the last!"

"I'm sorry onee-chan." Dumdum sat up and pressed a hand gingerly on her cheek. But she felt nothing. Things like sensations and feelings were eradicated from her system a long time ago. There was only happiness. Pure, unadulterated, ignorant bliss...

Deedee reached out to tear the IV from her sister's arm. The sisters watched the blood spurt out for a moment, before Deedee bent down to lick along her arm-- following the bloody trail until she reached the wound where she began to suck on it.

Dumdum smiled happily.

Finally, when the wound stopped bleeding, Deedee straightened and pulled her sister down. "Come on... The queen is waiting for us."

"Yes." Dumdum agreed with quiet joviality before they both disappeared, unnoticed, in thin air.

* * *

+Author's Note+

Is it just me or are the chapters getting shorter and shorter. O.o;;;

Hehe... I'm sick right now so the next update might take a little longer. I typed this baby as best as I can in my state! But I am about ready to collapse. Damn, I'm obsessed...

The reference to Anna Miller is true in real life. My mom told me about it and about the waitresses there. I am so envious she got to see them! T.T If I was there, I might've probably joined the Otakus in the ranks. Lol. Naw...

The "-dono" suffix means you are regarding someone with respect. I believe it translates to madam or sir.

You probably all know what otaku means already (because I know anyone reading this fanfic is a pure-blooded BSSM otaku) so I'm not explaining that one.

Gambatte means 'hang in there' or 'good luck.'

Anyone noticed any fairytale allusions yet? Anyone :P Like I said... The theme may seem unoriginal but the plot isn't.


	6. Haiku 5: Ennui

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_What we sorely lack.  
Is something that we don't need.  
But long to have it..._

* * *

**Haiku 5: Ennui**

No one in this world should ever be bored, that is what Minako had concluded. Boredom kills and should be illegal in Japan! But no, "boredom" was free to run around and victimize beautiful, young and blonde Pop Stars like her.

She was in the studio, overseeing the training of the Three Lights along with the song director, Katsuhiko. She resented the fact that her manager had forced her to be here. The other Stars, she knew, could get away with missing sessions like this. But then again, she wouldn't be number one in the entertainment business if it hadn't been for Michiru's management skills. So Minako did not argue. She would do anything to stay on top after all.

'At least,' she thought wryly as she watched the Three Lights practice with passion, 'some of us are enjoying our lives.' When she had seen everything this world had to offer, there was nothing left to satisfy her anymore. 'I wonder if Makoto-san would...' She stiffened at the impulsive thought. Good god! What was wrong with her? This little infatuation was getting out of hand.

"Are you feeling alright Minako-sempai?" She felt a shadow cast over her, and she looked up to see that it had been Taiki who had asked her.

"Sit down for a minute." She patted a place beside her on the couch. She had to be subtle about this, and not raise any questions that would have Taiki wondering why she was inquiring such personal things about their friend. "How old is Makoto-san? Does he have a girlfriend? Do you know where he lives? Why doesn't he come to these practice sessions with you guys?"

Subtlety? What subtlety? These questions had been haunting her for the past few days and needed to be let out of her chest. She exhaled in relief. She felt better already. But still, she was anxious and hopeful enough that Taiki would at least answer her questions honestly. She watched her face, which was unreadable as always, as she waited for her to speak.

"Well..." Taiki finally replied, a hint of amazement in her otherwise docile voice, "I did not realize that Minako-sempai had taken such a great interest in our Mako-chan." The blonde girl blushed. "But I'm afraid I could not answer your questions. You see..."

Having heard (eavesdropped) enough, Seiya appeared behind the couch, crossing her arms over each other on top of the cushioned backrest. She effortlessly interjected, "What Taiki-baka means to say is... We think it's best if you ask Mako-chan personally."

"Seiya-chan..." Taiki rolled her eyes to look at her darkly. The other woman simply looked back. While both were locked in a mental, battle of wits, of some sort... Yaten had tapped Minako's shoulder and gestured, with a jerk of her head, to follow her to a quieter corner. Minako nodded and followed her.

"What's up Yaten-kun?"

"Do you like Makoto-san?" Yaten asked directly. She saw the other blush again, and looked everywhere but at her. "I heard interesting things about you, Minako-sempai." She went on cautiously, she prayed that the blonde Star would not fire them because of her impudence. But Makoto's well-being was more important to her than this job. "I don't want you to end up breaking our friend's heart."

Minako knew she should be angry at Yaten for judging her. What did this "guy'" know about her? Nothing! She really should start reminding her employee of "his" place. But she didn't. She was quick enough to realize that out of all the Three Lights, Yaten seemed closest to Makoto. 'Why is this guy (Makoto) so worth it?' Minako asked herself as she swallowed her pride and smiled at the other "boy."

"I know you have every right to worry, Yaten-kun. My um... reputation certainly doesn't help much. But I want you to know that I..." That she what?

"What, Minako-sempai?" Yaten prodded patiently.

"I... I want to be close to him." And Minako knew it was the truth. She felt some of her conflicted emotions unravel and set itself into order. "Yeah..." She continued, sounding surer of herself and her words. "I want to be close to him."

"Him?" She heard Yaten mutter to herself. But she couldn't be sure. The platinum-blonde youth looked up at her, her expression grave. "If you want to be close to... him... you will have to accept parts of Makoto-san that you might not probably like."

"Yaten-kun..." Minako began firmly, "if you're trying to discourage me, you shouldn't. My mind is made up. Don't you think it's up to me to decide whether I should like him or not?"

"Of course... You're right, Minako-sempai." Yaten lowered her eyes, yielding to her logic.

"Oi Yaten-baka! Don't hog Minako-sama all to yourself!" Seiya suddenly called out from the couch, breaking the tension that had unknowingly permeated between them. Yaten rolled her eyes. Before she returned to them however, she advised the Star one last time.

"If you really want to know... Mako-chan goes to Juuban Junior High."

* * *

It was another new day in school. Ami was both apprehensive and excited at the same time. She was not sure she was ready to deal with another torture session with the rest of the mean kids. But the thought of seeing Makoto again gave her enough incentive to brave the forthcoming harassment. She decided to leave her precious book bag behind and put her stuff in a rucksack that she borrowed from her father. She would use this only until she bought a new one. Her father and mother's book bag was too valuable to be exposed to thieving hands, especially now that Nishikawa knew what it meant to her. Besides, she had Makoto now. The other girl's reassuring presence was enough to give her courage.

Like before, Ami came to school early. But instead of hiding inside the girl's bathroom, she stood waiting outside the gate. The other students looked at her oddly but otherwise left her alone. Half an hour later-- she spotted a familiar figure to her left. She put on a bright smile on her face when Makoto approached her at a slow and steady pace. The taller girl did not look like she had seen her yet.

"Oi Aniki! Looks like someone's waiting for us!" Came a shrill cry behind her and she turned around, her stomach feeling like it had tightened itself into knots, to see Nishikawa and his gang approaching in the opposite direction. It was Usui who had yelled the words, his shrill voice distinctively his and his alone.

She looked away from them when Makoto suddenly walked past in front of her. The taller girl did not acknowledge her, her face was as stony and as daunting as it had been before. Ami was confused at first, but decided to quickly follow after her-- walking behind her like before. But Nishikawa grabbed her elbow from behind, having caught up with them, and pulled her back.

"Hey, hey... Where are you going?" He sneered. "I'm not done with you yet."

"Let go of her..." Everyone looked at Makoto, surprised. The fierce, brown-haired girl had stopped the instant she caught sight of Nishikawa grabbing Ami and was now turned towards them with an angry glare.

'Makoto...' Ami thought with a relieved and hopeful smile. She winced when Nishikawa pulled her against his chest and wrapped an arm around her neck in a choke hold.

"Why should I?" He mocked. "You didn't give a damn about her last time... Why should this time be any better?"

"Let her go..." Makoto repeated staunchly, her scowl deepening.

"Make me!" He snarled and emphasized his point by jerking Ami violently until the smaller girl yelped.

Makoto took a deep breath to calm herself and released it gradually. "What do you want Nishikawa?" She asked him wearily.

The bully smirked, and for a moment Ami thought she saw his normally sullen eyes brighten. "What else, Kino? I want to punch your face in!"

Makoto cocked her head at him and put on a bored expression on her face. "That again? Don't you get tired of losing to a girl all the time?" She did not give him a chance to retort, however, and threw her book bag to the side and positioned herself into a fighting stance. "Let's get this over with already..."

"You'll lose this time Kino!" Nishikawa vowed, throwing Ami towards Endo who instantly caught her around the shoulders, before throwing himself over to the taller girl.

The brunette instinctively brought her arms over her head to block his deadly, downward kick. She recoiled down slightly at the force of his assault but nonetheless withstood it. "What makes you so sure you'll win this time?" She taunted him.

"I will..." Nishikawa smiled darkly. "Because I have your girlfriend." As if on cue, Endo squeezed Ami's shoulders tightly causing the blue-haired girl to cry out in pain.

Makoto growled before shoving him away. She moved towards him swiftly before he could recover and raised her fist to strike him. He met her attack head on and punched her on her exposed right side, just as she punched his face. Both contenders were thrust back by the power of the other's attack, but neither gave any indication that it had affected them.

"It's just like you, you jerk!" Makoto yelled. "Hiding behind a girl... You're gutless!"

"Whatever it takes to win, bitch!" Nishikawa yelled back. With an animalistic cry, he launched a series of rapid punches and kicks at his most hated enemy. Makoto blocked each strike with careful dodges and defensive strikes of her own. He was sure he was going to win now. Makoto would not fight back!

But to his surprise, an unexpected kick was delivered to his groin. Almost every witnessing male in the vicinity winced in sympathy. His face reddened and contorted in agony. Then he fell to his knees as he painfully clutched at his injured area. "N-no fair!" He squeaked.

"Hey, you fight dirty, I fight dirty." Makoto smirked down at him mirthlessly. She brushed past him and approached the others, stopping a few scant inches in front of them. She folded her arms in front of her and raised a stern eyebrow. "I believe you have something of mine."

She did not realize the impact her innocent words had on everyone, especially Ami-- so she was oblivious to Endo's, Usui's and Inouye's startled looks and Ami's radiant smile.

'Hers...' The blue-haired girl repeated in her mind and felt her heart skip a beat. She felt Endo let her go, and she ran to hide behind Makoto's intimidating form.

"Next time you guys want a fair fight," the brunette warned them, "don't involve innocents." With that, she turned around to retrieve her bag. But Ami ran ahead of her to pick it up first and held it out for her.

"Thank you..." She told the taller girl, lowering her eyes to the ground bashfully.

Makoto chuckled wryly and took her bag from Ami's hands. "Don't thank me yet. It's gonna get worse from this point on." Indeed, she could already sense the spiteful and interested stares directed at her and her smaller companion. She started towards school, ignoring the negative feelings that were transmitted towards her. Ami followed behind her.

"I'm not worried." The smaller girl beamed. "I have Makoto-san to protect me."

For some inexplicable reason, Makoto felt her face flush at the utter conviction in Ami's proclamation. "Look Mizuno-san..."

"Please call me Ami."

"Yeah... Well Ami-san then... I'm not always around to protect you. And the others can be pretty sneaky... And--"

Ami reached out to grasp at a piece of Makoto's long sleeve, halting her worried ramblings. The brunette looked down at her companion's tranquil features inquiringly. "I'll be okay." She told Makoto before she released her sleeve. To prove that she was not totally dependent on her, Ami walked ahead towards the shoe lockers. She ignored the slanderous vandalism etched on her locker, opened it, and retrieved her school shoes inside.

Makoto moved behind her, and was troubled when she saw the horrible names sprayed on Ami's locker. But the smaller girl looked like it didn't even affect her. "Let's eat lunch together." She told her, determined to be near Ami as much as possible so that she could watch out for her. She had experienced first hand how cruel these kids were after all, and did not want her... friend... yes, her new friend... to go through that.

Ami closed her locker with a resounding clang, after she replaced her black leather shoes with the white ones, and she grew silent. Makoto was worried that the smaller girl had finally come to her senses and decided to stay away from her after all. But truth be told-- Ami was so thrilled she was having a hard time trying to find the right words to say. "I-I'd like that." She settled on answering honestly, before turning her head slightly to nod at her happily.

"I'll be at the field." Makoto released a breath she was not aware she had been holding and was smiling back at her.

"I'll be there." Ami told her shyly before running ahead towards the classrooms, keeping her head down to hide the ridiculous grin that was spreading across her face.

Makoto watched her leave, and when she was sure no one was watching, she groaned and held her side. 'Damn... Nishikawa's strong...' She thought.

* * *

Michiru reached down to twist the doorknob open when the door was flung open, causing her to stumble back in shock. She frowned as Minako rushed past her, her orange head scarf and coat flying up slightly as she hastened to put them on. The older woman hurried to catch up to her, while calling out, "Hey... Where are you going? Don't you have home school this afternoon? My husband is waiting for you back home."

"It's probably my best friend's lunch break and I'm going to pay her a visit before it ends." Minako called back , blowing Michiru a kiss before she exited the building. "Tell Mamo-kun that we can do the tutoring thing tomorrow!"

Meanwhile, Seiya withdrew her head from the doorway and turned to look at Yaten. "Did you tell her?"

"She needs to find out for herself." The other girl shrugged. Taiki wordlessly nodded in agreement.

"She's going to fire us when she finds out... I'm sure of it." A paranoid Seiya muttered worriedly.

Angry crimson eyes watched the blonde-haired teenager exit the building and got into a cab-- from where the small figure was perched, watching, on top of a building across the music studio. "Onee-chan, onee-chan... They're going to meet. They're all going to meet." Dumdum fretted beside her, tugging at her twin's long, long sleeves.

If anyone were to look up at the rooftop right now they would see a pair of little girls, no older than ten. The dark-haired one would be in red over-sized satin shirt that reached up to her hips, with long sleeves that went past her hands (practically reaching up to her feet), and with a white spade sawn crudely in front of her chest. She had black leotards to cover her legs and brown over-sized shoes for her feet. If her jester-like costume wasn't obvious enough, the white jester's frills around her neck was stereotypical enough to identify her as one. The white-haired one was similarly dressed, except in a white top with a red spade.

"Shut up! I can see that!" Deedee spat and kicked her sister away. The other girl staggered back, and tilted over the edge. Dumdum flailed her arms furiously to regain her balance, then forced herself forward and away from a fatal encounter with the street-- stumbling into the rough asphalt of the rooftop's flooring instead.

"I nearly died onee-chan!" Dumdum whined, though the ever-present smile on her face took away any credibility in her complaint.

"Like you could..." Deedee muttered as she grabbed a cell phone from the belt around her waist and flipped it open. She hit speed dial. "Maestro Cappello." She spoke curtly into the phone, "It's happening again. I can't believe it! Are they always supposed to meet? Every world? Again and again!"

"Onee-chan... Onee-chan." Dumdum tugged at her sleeve again, not wanting to be left out from the one-sided conversation.

Deedee ignored her. "What do you mean it's destiny! Fuck destiny! I hate it! I should just kill them right now before they awaken! Let's see fuckin'destiny fix that!"

"Onee-chan!"

"Continue to watch them? This is stupid..." Incredibly annoyed with the absurdity of the discussion, she flung the phone into the air violently, and felt some measure of satisfaction as it smashed into pieces against the building across from her. Then she turned to the source of the insistent tugging at her sleeve and backhanded the other girl who fell to her knees from the blow. "Stop that! Damn, I hate you!"

"I'm sorry onee-chan." Dumdum replied timidly and licked at the blood that was oozing from her ripped lower lip. "What did Maestro Cappello tell us to do?"

"What else, onee-chan? We kill them." Deedee lied.

"Really?"

"Do I look like a liar to you?"

"Yeah...?"

"That's why you're stupid because you can't tell." The dark-haired twin smirked and bent to help her other half to her feet. Dumdum relished the rare feeling of being held in her beloved sister's arms and nodded enthusiastically.

"You've always been the smart one, onee-chan."

They reached out for the other's hand, meeting half-way, and clasped each other tightly. Without preamble, they jumped off the edge of the roof, disappearing midway before they reached the ground.

* * *

The field was lush and green. It was the only place the faculty of Juuban took pains in having it well-maintained. It was their only pride in this, otherwise, lousy school. The other students did not care about this place though. Except when there were outdoor activities to be carried out or there were secret night fights between school yard gangs, the field was always empty. During lunch time, the students prefer to eat out-- the guards never stopping them. So it was no surprise that Ami and Makoto had the place to themselves. They sat under one of the large trees that were planted at the edge of the field, just near a wired fence. This was Makoto's favorite spot since no one bothered her here, and it was usually so breezy.

Ami was so preoccupied staring at the unaware brunette, her heart nearly leapt off her chest when her cell phone rang. She quickly rummaged inside her rucksack for the ringing object, found it, pressed a button to receive the call and put it gingerly in her ear. "Hello?"

"Ami-babe? It's Minako!"

Ami frowned in puzzlement. "Mina-chan? Why are you calling at this time? You know I'm still in school."

"Yeah, yeah... Look, I'm outside the gate! Come get me."

"W-what? Why are you--" But the other girl had already hung up. Ami pulled her phone away to look at it in bewilderment.

"Ami-san?" Makoto's concerned voice tugged her attention away and she looked up at her friend with a bemused smile.

"My best friend is at the entrance." Ami murmured in quiet astonishment. She searched Makoto's eyes and saw only amusement there. "She wants me to come and get her."

"You want me to come with you?" The brunette made to rise, but Ami quickly put her hand on her leg to stop her.

"No, that's alright. I'll be quick." The smaller girl told her, letting her hand linger on Makoto's leg for a few moments before pulling away. She pushed her bento safely to one side and stood up. "Save a spot for me." She giggled and wandered away towards in the direction towards the school's entrance.

Ami saw her friend chatting up the guard, who was probably trying to charm her way in. Minako had a scarf over her head and was wearing large sunglasses like a clichéd celebrity who was trying to hide from the public. Oddly enough, the people around her did not seem to recognize her. People really were ignorant to the incredible things that tend to be right under their noses. Ami shook her head at that.

"Mina-chan." She greeted her as she stopped in front of her grinning friend. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"Oh, I just thought that I should check up on how my best friend is doing..." Minako confided slyly. She snaked an arm around hers and began to tug her forward towards the school but not before looking at the guard who grinned back at her as he waved her away. "And I figured it's about time that you give me a grand tour of Juuban!"

"Mina-chan..." Ami began slowly, skepticism coloring her voice.

"Seriously!" Minako exclaimed. "I know the timing is wrong, but this is the only free time I have! C'mon Ami-chan..." She tugged her sunglasses down to bat her baby blue eyes at her best friend. "Have a heart?"

The blue-haired girl shook her head at the blonde affectionately, not believing her in the least, but glad that she was here all the same. "Alright, alright. I don't have time to give you a tour though. But you can join my friend and I for lunch. You haven't eaten lunch, right?"

'But I want you to show me around so that I can find Makoto-san!' She mentally whined but wordlessly shook her head instead. She felt Ami redirect their steps, and she allowed herself to be led. 'Maybe,' she thought absently, 'I can come back later, after school. THEN I can look for Makoto-san...'

As the pair made their way towards the field, Minako decided to ditch the disguise since no one was near enough to recognize her. She saw a strangely familiar girl sitting under a tree just a few meters across from them. She turned her attention towards her best friend as she watched a soft smile bloom on Ami's face. "We're back, Makoto-san!" The blue-hared girl called out.

When the blonde turned back around to scrutinize the person again, she froze. Minako and Makoto stared at each other in disbelief. Ami looked at them back and forth, confused by their reactions.

"It's y--" Minako did not get an opportunity to finish though, because she and Ami were forced back by small and brutal hands. The pair fell to the ground clumsily.

Makoto quickly shot up. "What the hell are you--!" A flash of metal, and the fierce brunette was compelled to stop talking when the tip of a knife was pressed against her neck dangerously, practically pricking the skin. She looked down with her eyes, to meet the blank red ones of a smiling little girl.

"Wow... It's Jupiter. Look onee-chan! I found Jupiter." The white-haired child spoke.

"You're so stupid onee-chan, we already know all of them remember?" The black-haired addressed her mirror image, not taking her furious gaze at the other two girls on the ground. She jerked her arms upwards, and the long sleeves trailed down to reveal several small knives in between her fingers. "Let's kill them..."

"NO!" Makoto yelled and moved to slap the hand that held a knife in her throat. Minako and Ami screamed and tried to move away. But then, everything came to a halt and the area around them darkened-- the trees, the sky and the ground disappeared. There was nothing else but a dark violet fog.

The little girls shrieked and disappeared, reappearing several meters away from the rest of the girls. "Shit! Fuck!" Deedee was quivering and hugging herself tightly. Her eyes were wild and crazed with fear and anger. Dumdum, held her shaking sister in her arms, looking around blankly.

"Maestro Cheshire..." The white-haired child smiled happily when a compact form fell out of nowhere and landed between them and their supposed prey.

The newcomer straightened in a leisurely manner, cat-like in grace. It was obvious that she was a woman, by the tightness of her black, and shiny cat-suit that revealed her slender and womanly form. She would've been considered attractive... if it weren't for the white porcelain cat-mask etched with six red stripes-- the freaky grin that was carved onto it was unnervingly wide. The mask looked like it knew some private joke, it looked like it was inviting anyone to ask what it was, and it looked like it would never give anyone a chance to find out what it was...

"Cheshire!" Deedee hissed. "Stay out of this!"

"You've been bad little Maestros..." Cheshire purred as she slowly approached them. The little girls backed away. "What did I tell you about disobeying your superiors?"

"Aren't we all equal?" Dumdum inquired innocently and flinched when the mask was turned in her direction.

"Time to go home, little Maestros... be thankful that it is Maestro Pillar who will punish you and not the queen." Cheshire turned her back on them. She did not need to look back to see them disappear immediately.

When it looked like they were safe, Makoto quickly rushed to Minako and Ami's side and offered her hands to them. "Are you guys alright?" When the other girls took them, Makoto hoisted them both to their feet.

"Yeah... What was THAT all about!" Minako whirled around, her eyes flashing furiously, to demand for answers that she never got to when she found the cat-mask staring at her in the face, just mere inches from where she stood. She shrieked and stumbled back. Makoto and Ami caught her from behind and tried to steady her.

"What, you say?" Came Cheshire's teasingly playful answer. "What is what is what? Such a question that cannot be answered in this world that only had answers to WHY." She circled them like a hunter stalking her kill, forcing them to huddle close together defensively. They warily followed her with their eyes, tense and ready to escape when they find a chance to do so. "Why is this world such a miserable place to live? Why are you here? Why is this happening to you? Those are the questions you should be asking..."

"Yeah?" Makoto started sarcastically. "Why then?"

"Why what, Kino Makoto?" Cheshire responded coyly. "Why do you feel so helpless and victimized by circumstances beyond your control?"

"What the..." The brunette's eyes widened and she moved forward to grab the mysterious woman. "How do you know who I am! Who the hell are you!"

"Makoto-san!" Ami restrained her by the waist. Her instincts were screaming at her that this woman was dangerous-- more dangerous than the twins that had attacked them earlier.

"Ah, ah, ah..." Cheshire made clucking noises as she danced away from the other girl's flailing hands. "I only said 'why' questions, remember?" She cocked her head at Ami, scrutinizing her intently through the mask's squinting smiling eyes. "Mizuno Ami... You use your head well. Unfortunately, knowledge can only go so far if you're afraid to know the answers. Why are you so afraid?"

Cheshire did not wait for a response and faded into the fog, only to reappear in front of a very unnerved Minako. "Aino Minako... Pretty yellow canary... Why do you love singing in a bird cage?" She disappeared again, reappearing, and standing in mid-air above them. She spread her arms, suddenly sprinkling glittering violet dust into the air. When the sandy mass engulfed them-- the girls fell to the ground as they feel their consciousness fade away very quickly. Ami tried to stay awake for as long as she could, straining to look at the blurry figure of Cheshire, who looked like she was actually standing on one of the tree branches as the fog slowly lifted up. She heard her say, before she passed out, "It's too soon for you all to meet, little pretties. When you wake up, it will all seem like a bad dream."

* * *

"Miss? Miss? Excuse me Miss?"

Minako started as she came into focus and looked over at the cab driver across her seat in confusion. She looked around to see that she was still inside the cab, the cab itself was still in front of the studio. "Huh?" She looked back at the driver dumbly.

The man rolled his eyes and repeated his question again. "Where to, Miss?"

Where WAS she supposed to go anyway? Then she glanced at her watch and remembered. She was supposed to go to Michiru's house to meet up with Mamoru for her afternoon tutorials. She felt chagrined when she realized she must have zoned out for a second. She told the driver where to go.

* * *

Ami jerked away and tried to look around wildly, only to be hindered by something weighing heavily on her shoulder. She glanced down slightly to see a sleeping Makoto resting peacefully against her, and it had been her head that was resting heavily on top of her shoulder. Ami was suddenly conscious of the other girl's warm breath brushing against her neck. She stifled the urge to shiver but could not stop the blood from rushing to her face

'When did we fall asleep?' Ami thought, she looked over to their half-eaten bento with a frown. It didn't matter, she concluded, happy to have Makoto this near her even if the other girl was unconscious.

With a tender smile, she reached out gingerly to brush a lock of brown hair away from Makoto's serene face.

* * *

The dark hall reverberated with agonized screams and excited tittering. Other than that there was a deadly pause. The air sang as a leather whip cut through it and struck against Deedee and Dumdum's exposed backs with a loud "WHACK!" Deedee screamed again, the other girl simply whimpered.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The black-haired girl pleaded desperately, trying to look around to catch her punisher's eyes. She strained against the clawed hands that held her arms firmly above her head. Her sister was in a similar position. Both of their backs were bleeding heavily. The youma that were holding their wrists together smacked its lips as the scent of blood wafted up to its nose. But it recoiled when Deedee twisted her head back upwards to glare into its frightened black eyes murderously. 'You're next...' They seemed to say.

"Ugh... This is such a chore..." Pillar muttered boredly, sucking at her cigarette slowly and relishing the taste and feel of the rough smoke passing down her throat. She lifted her whip one more time and brought it down violently over the small girls' backs. Deedee screamed again, and Pillar sighed. This was a killer on her hang over.

She looked up at the shadowed figure that was watching the events on her darkly magnificent throne. "Hey... Can I stop already? My sake is probably getting cold." She saw their leader wave a hand to dismiss her. She threw the whip down and walked back to her spot among the other white, ornate arches on each side of the throne's sides that were reserved for Maestros like her alone.

The youma in the darkness grew restless as their entertainment was stopped short and started to jostle each other. "Quiet..." The vague figure on the throne spoke, and the demonic residents in the hall suddenly grew silent-- except for Dumdum who was sobbing pathetically. Their leader waved a hand at the youma who held the little girls. It immediately let them go and tried to run back into the safety of the shadows. But Deedee was quick, and she threw several knives at its back in rage. The youma shrieked before it fell to the ground, bursting into blue flame.

"Fuck..." She panted heavily, nearly fainting with pain. But she had enough strength to stagger towards her fallen sister and knelt beside her. She gathered her in her arms and cradled her against her chest.

Dumdum looked up weakly and smiled at her. "Onee-chan. It actually hurt."

"I know onee-chan." Deedee answered back. The sisters looked up at their observant queen, lowering their heads in shame.

"We will never disobey you again." They chorused.

"Good..." Pillar muttered, as she held her pot of sake above her makeshift stove to heat her precious drink. "It's so tedious punishing you idiots every time you fuck up." Deedee bit back a bitter retort and tightened her hold on her sister instead.

"Pillar..." The queen suddenly spoke, and the loosely, pink kimono-clad woman with classically beautiful Japanese features turned to her leader sleepily. "You will be taking over the task of watching our senshi."

"Aw... Alright..." Pillar yawned. "Right after I finish this pot."

"As for the both of you..." The queen turned to the children, who instinctively cowered under her cold regard. "You will start collecting more misery for me..."

"Y-yes, my queen." Deedee and Dumdum bowed gratefully. The dark-haired one felt better. This job was better suited for her. When she looked up at the queen, there was adoration in her eyes. The queen understood her better than anyone. She knew her needs and desires and had many ways of making it come true. Of course she should... The queen loved her. She loved everyone who served her faithfully. And the sisters were determined to be as faithful to her as possible so that she would love them even more.

"Where is Cheshire?" The queen queried.

The children did not answer at first, until Deedee nudged her sister on the ribs. "W-we don't know my queen." The white-haired girl answered nervously.

"That meddler is probably up to no good again, knowing how she is." Pillar commented with another yawn. "I'll tell her you asked for her when I see her."

The queen did not answer, but rose from her throne instead. She looked around her magnificent hall-- the architecture was Baroque and Greek in design-- with intricate ribbed vaults and colonades with demonic designs. Everything was beautiful in its monstrosity, and the stones that made up this place were pure white (but it was hard to tell in this darkness). This was her unholy temple.

"My subjects!" Her voice boomed through out the large hall, causing the youma in the shadows to start their excited tittering once again. "Bring me more misery!"

The noise rose like a rumbling thunder, shaking the walls with its anxious adulation.

* * *

+Author's Note+

To explain the shoe-thingy... Japanese are really such neat freaks. It's a custom for them to change their "outside shoes" with the white "inside shoes" so that they wouldn't bring dirt into school. Almost every place in Japan is soooooo clean!

Unless you didn't get the hint... for people who did-- now that you found out who exactly is Michiru's husband, I bet you're all going like "Whhuuuuuuuutt?" (grins and holds up a peace sign) Patience, patience... There are a lot of twists in this story.

Hehe... "Cappello" means hat in Italian.

Bento is a Japanese lunch box.

Youma means demon. I'm sure everyone knows what senshi means already. :P

Sake is a Japanese rice wine. It tastes like water, but has an unexpected kick to it.


	7. Haiku 6: Stolen

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_You move towards me.  
Possibly to wipe my tears.  
Then your lips touch mine..._

* * *

****

**Haiku 6: Stolen**

Rei did not know how she did it before. School was hell on earth. And she did not say that because she hated learning... Heck, she loved learning. She felt like she was regaining a sense of normalcy ever since she woke up remembering nothing. Her classmates were another story though... They insist on smothering her with their "love." But what was strange about the other girls was that they were simply fans. They adored the image she portrayed. She was their elegant "princess." None of them was willing enough to be her friend.

In fact... they outright rejected the notion-- always saying that they could not allow their "Rei-sama" to lower herself to their standards, and it made Rei feel like an outcast somehow.

It was PE time, and she was sitting among her cheering classmates in the sidelines inside the school's massive gymnasium. She was quiet, however, as she watched their teacher and the captain of the fencing club square off in the piste. They were demonstrating to the class what a real epee bout was like. Rei was really impressed with the captain.

She was told that Kirisaki Tezuka, a senior student who was also the one who was currently giving their teacher a run for his money, was considered to be her biggest rival. Her classmates had told her that she and the older girl used to butt heads.

She watched as Tezuka practically forced their teacher back and off the strip-- forcing the rotund, panting man to call out a, "Halt!" He took off his mask and turned his jolly, pink-cheeked features to his students. Rei could not help but compare him to a shorter and hairless version of Santa Clause. "THAT is what real epee fencing is like, girls. So when you..."

"Excuse me, sir." Tezuka cut in politely, her voice muffled against the mask. She took off her head gear, letting her silky brown hair fall gracefully, and revealed the breath-taking beauty underneath. Rei's eyes widened. She had been late when she came in earlier, her cast giving her trouble when she tried to change into her fencing suit, and had only stumbled in the middle of the fencing demonstration. When she finally saw what her so-called rival looked like, she was astounded by her attractiveness. She had competed against THAT?

"If you would allow me to be so bold, I don't quite think this one-sided demonstration of skills has been presented to your class properly." Tezuka smiled charmingly at the other man to take away the sting of her words. "If you will allow me... I would like to ask one of your students, who I know is also an experienced fencer, for a suitable performance." She paused, and added slyly, "Perhaps afterwards, the others might be impressed enough to want to take fencing seriously."

"Are trying to recruit some of the girls in the middle of my class, Kirisaki-san?" The teacher laughed, not the least bit offended by the fencing captain's honesty. "You are right, as always, my dear. But I didn't realize that there is an experienced fencer among the girls. Other than Hino-san that is..."

"Oh," Tezuka went on innocently, though when she glanced in the girl in question there was challenge in her hazel eyes, "But I really was referring to Hino-san." Rei's classmates started whispering to each other.

'What the hell is she talking about?' The dark-haired girl thought, annoyed. She was tempted to wave the cast in front of the senior's smirking face and say, 'Hello? Broken arm?' And besides that, wasn't her amnesiac condition already public knowledge? She was not even sure she knew how to fence.

"But I don't think Hino-san is fit to fence, Kirisaki-san." The teacher shook his head in disappointment.

"Oh, not to worry. I'll use my left hand then."

"That seems fair," he thought out loud. His eyes were bright with excitement. It has been a while since he had seen Tezuka and Rei fence together. They took the art of fencing to a whole new level. And being a passionate fencing-enthusiast it had been such a huge shame that the accident had forced such a talented girl like Rei to stop. Forgoing his common sense in his eagerness to see them fence each other again, he nodded and said, "Very well."

"WHAT!" Rei shot to her feet in anger.

"Is something the matter, Hino-san?" Tezuka asked the other girl sweetly. "I'll understand if you're afraid. But fencing should be nothing compared to the accident you went through. I'm terribly sorry that had happened to you, by the way. And it was so courageous of you to come out and continue your normal life despite your amnesia. If you want, I'll give even you a handicap?"

'That bitch!' Rei thrust her mask over her head and grabbed her epee with her left hand before storming over to the piste. The whispers around them got louder. She positioned herself on the on-guard line which, was two meters parallel from each other from the center line-- and Tezuka, her mask also in place, mimicked her.

"Double-touch? Three points to win?" The senior inquired, suddenly serious.

"Whatever." Rei answered back curtly.

"Any handicaps?"

"Why? Do you need it?"

The air practically crackled with tension. The teacher, acting as the director, positioned himself at a safe distance beside the center-line. "Ready?" He asked, and the contenders resumed an en garde position-- well, Rei tried to... but she could not lift her right hand to find her center of gravity. Instead, she pointed her epee awkwardly at Tezuka while she kept her broken right arm tucked against her chest instead. "Fence!"

Both girls were still at first, until Tezuka tried to feel her out by tapping Rei's epee sharply. The dark-haired girl tapped back. That was all it took. They both burst into a flurry of thrusts, slashes and parries. Rei was clumsy, and was unsure with what it took to win this round. And Tezuka was better than she had thought, especially now that the other girl was fencing mercilessly. She was finally chased off the side strip. The "director" stopped them and repositioned them on the on-guard line once again.

"Ready?" He called out.

"Are you okay to continue, Hino-san." Tezuka spoke, dripping with false concern, as she put herself in en garde once again.

"I'm just warming up." Rei growled through her mask.

"Fence!"

The dark-haired girl took the initiative of tapping Tezuka's epee first, before lunging herself at her. She was going to have to go on the offensive, Rei strategized, until she hit a point. Tezuka was forced to parry and defend herself, but held her ground nonetheless. Finally, in a move called "Thrust with Opposition"-- she deflected Rei's furious thrust by circling the blade of the epee away from its center of aim and thrust her own into Rei's chest.

The first point was Tezuka's.

"My, my, Hino-san... In spite of your disadvantage, I would've thought that your instincts would have at least retained your skills in fencing." The senior gloated.

Instead of angering Rei, she took the other girl's words into consideration. When the next round began, it was Tezuka's turn to act offensively. The dark-haired girl did not stop to think and let herself be carried away by her intuition.

It only took two moves. A counter-parry and a quick thrust-- and Rei finally had her first point. The girls in the bleachers cheered loudly.

"You can do it, Rei-sama!"

"Kirisaki-sama is the best!"

"Ready? Fence!"

Rei was more comfortable with herself now. In the next round, both fencers were evenly-matched. She nearly chased Tezuka off the piste. But with the senior's quick thinking, she allowed herself to settle for a double-touch instead. Both points were awarded to both girls.

It was Tezuka's turn to get angry and for Rei to gloat. The teacher was beside himself. Thiswas exciting! It was turning out to be more of a saber match than epee with the furious pace the girls were setting. But he did not dare stop them and tell them that. Tezuka was superior in experience while the other, while a little green, was more skillful. He was not sure who was going to win and the unknown was thrilling. The other students obviously felt the same as the gymnasium practically thundered with encouraging cheers. The others in separate classes even stopped whatever they were doing and had gathered around the piste.

Both fencers were dead silent as they waited for the final, conclusive round to begin.

"Ready?" Rei tensed.

"Fence!"

The following match was a sight to behold. Everyone was watching masters at work. The girls chased each other all over the strip while being careful not to step over the lines. Each of them moved with grace and rhythmic momentum. The finally...

CLANG!

Both girls countered each other's epee, the metal clanging loudly, then thrust at the other simultaneously. It was another double-touch. Everyone went wild. It was to be expected that their idols would tie, but they applauded the fencers for their excellent showmanship nonetheless. When Rei took her mask off, she was grinning. Tezuka wasn't and was glaring at the younger girl.

"That was wonderful!" The teacher gushed as he rushed to congratulate them. He looked at Rei and smiled at her. "You really are a genius!"

The dark-haired girl looked down at him with fire in her lavender eyes "I am SO glad I have such a considerate teacher like you, sensei. Thank you for saying so." The smile on the chastised man's face fell at the sarcastic edge in her voice.

Rei shifted her attention to Tezuka when the captain approached her. "I agree with him, Hino-san. It only takes a genius like you to fence the way you did when you can't even remember how to." The older girl's tone was dripping with malice despite the polite words.

Rei was ready to bop her one on the head with her cast, but settled with offering her an insincere smile instead. "Thank you, sempai. I guess skill DOES win over age." Both girls stared at each other for a long, tense time before Tezuka broke eye contact first. She turned to speak to the suddenly somber teacher beside them.

"If you'll excuse me, sensei... I have another class to attend to." She smiled at him, did not offer one to Rei, and simply walked away.

"Well err..." The awkward man turned to the other girl.

"May I be excused from class, sensei?" Rei requested brusquely. "My arm is aching."

"Oh, of course, Hino-san." He acquiesced softly, feeling guilty at the fact that he did nothing to stop her from overexerting herself earlier. Without another word, Rei turned in her heels and briskly left for the locker rooms.

* * *

The school bell chimed melodiously-- the sound echoed across the walls and even across the field. And still, Makoto did not stir. Ami's shoulder was beginning to grow numb.

'Such a heavy sleeper...' The blue-haired girl thought, and found the newly-discovered part of Makoto to be absolutely adorable. She really wished they could stay like this forever. But Ami took her schooling very seriously, and was compelled to have to wake her friend up to attend it.

"Makoto-san?" She whispered it at first. Makoto did not respond. She cleared her throat and decided to try calling out a little louder. "Makoto-san?" Still, nothing...

'You know,' Ami's ID began mischievously, 'you can always kiss your sleeping beauty awake.'

'Yeah sure... And be branded a pervert forever? Don't do it, Ami!' Her ever so logical SUPEREGO countered.

Great... She was having her very own Freudian battle... She was going to be late for class if she did not come to a decision soon. She had to wonder though why the idea of kissing Makoto, who happened to be another girl, did not entirely horrify her. In fact, she found the idea downright appealing. She looked down at the brunette and felt her heart respond at the sight of her.

Mizuno Ami realized, for the first time in her young life, that she was falling helplessly in love. The desire to kiss Makoto was so strong, it obliterated everything that was left of her moral fiber. She leaned down, slowly, her eyes fluttering close and her lips trembling in anticipation... when Makoto's head suddenly snapped up to collide sharply against Ami's temple.

"OW!" They both cried out and clutched their injured areas respectively.

"Jeez, Ami-san! What was that all about?" Makoto eyed the other girl and was startled to see how red Ami's face was turning. "Hey, you okay? Did you get hurt?"

"N-no, no!" Ami stuttered nervously, her voice unusually high and squeaky. "I-I'm fine! Uh... I'm j-just embarrassed."

"Huh? It was an accident, Ami-san. Nothing to be embarrassed about." Makoto shook her head. Her little friend was so weird. She glanced at her wrist watch and groaned. "Damn... I can't believe I fell asleep. Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I tried to," the blue-haired girl replied. She could not look at Makoto-- afraid that her feelings might be written all over her face. She would die on the spot if the taller girl saw them.

Makoto shrugged, "Fine, fine... Let's go back?"

"Yeah..." Ami concurred timidly and bent over to gather her stuff, and her friend did the same. After cleaning up, both girls rose and started towards the main building. "Ne, Makoto-san..." She began shyly. "Where do you live? I live near Shiba, and if your place is along the way... maybe we could walk home together?"

The brunette caught the hopefulness in the other girl's tone and hated herself for having to let her down. But it was too inconvenient for her to walk with Ami since her apartment was too far off. "I'm sorry Ami-san. I live in the opposite side."

"Oh... Well, that's okay." The smaller girl sighed. She was disappointed but not too worried about it. Besides, she could always ask Makoto to hang out over the weekends... or maybe go on dates? The latter thought threatened to send Ami in a giddy and blushing fit. Goodness, she needed to control herself. Her inner thoughts were getting embarrassing!

They finally entered the building and paused in front of the stairs. Ami and Makoto looked at each other for a while. It was the taller girl who blushed first, and shifted her gaze away from Ami's disconcertingly frank appraisal.

"I'll um..." Makoto cleared her throat loudly, "see ya later?"

"Of course." Ami smiled, then moved to climb the stairs. She was oblivious to the pensive eyes that followed her ascent.

* * *

The dark hall was empty save for six people. When the queen returned to her chambers, no one, except the Maestros and a handful of their personal slaves, was allowed to stay inside. The twins were watching a very naked Pillar standing in front of three of her youma "handmaidens" who were holding three similar-looking kimonos that were in three separate colors. Other than the fact that the kimonos were made out of rich silk, it was plain and lacking in design. There was, however, a black seal of a three-leaf clover (also known as a club among the other suits of playing cards) etched on the back of each robe.

"Why?" Deedee demanded obstinately, breaking the deafening silence in the hall.

"That's Cheshire's favorite question. You should ask her that." Pillar replied distractedly as she pulled a red robe out of her youma's metallic hands. All three abominations were mirror-like beasts-- their torsos were flat, long and retractable, and their skin was shiny and reflective like a vanity mirror-- but other than that, their limbs and heads were perfectly human.

The drowsy Maestro held the kimono in front of her body and frowned at her reflection in her "mirror." She looked like a whore in this color. She threw the kimono away and took out the blue one.

"Why can't we kill the stupid senshis already?" Deedee went on, unabashed. She stomped her foot impatiently with each word she uttered. "Why? Why? Why!" Dumdum giggled at her sister's antics beside her.

"Wasn't the plan obvious to you by now, from the last couple of dimensions we took over?" Pillar sighed as she threw the blue kimono away. The color simply clashed with her pink hair. 'Note to self... Red and blue robes should be burned...' She mentally told herself, then out loud she went on, "Let fate run its natural course, and wait for it to betray one of them. It always happens, remember? If we change it too soon, we're screwed."

"Well, isn't that the reason why we joined the queen in the first place?" Dumdum spoke up guilessly.

"I hate children..." Pillar muttered, growing irritated by all these lines of questioning. It was making her sober. "Look, just do as you're told, comprende? Like, stop trying to question it. Now leave me alone and do your jobs. You're ruining my mojo here."

Deedee flipped her middle finger in her direction before stomping away. Dumdum remained where she was for a moment and lifted her own middle finger in puzzlement. Then with a beaming smile, she innocently gestured the 'fuck you' at Pillar before she ran after her sister.

* * *

By the end of the day, the desperation for Rei's attention had toned down some, and the rest of the girls were content to worship her from afar. Rei was relieved. She had been telling the truth when she told the teacher that her arm was aching. She could not handle another mob attack similar to the one this morning.

She was standing in front of the gate, waiting for Haruka to come and pick her up, when she saw "her" again.

The apparition was wearing a school uniform this time, and she was more tangible than the last time. She was standing across the street, moving her head side to side to judge the momentum of the oncoming vehicles. Rei thought that she was finally seeing the actual person in the flesh. Then she watched the blonde, pig-tailed girl burst into a run. A car, moving towards her, picked up speed. Rei realized with horror that it was going to hit the other girl.

She started forward and opened her mouth to yell a warning-- but it was too late. She watched, dumbstruck, as the car zoomed through the girl's body like she was nothing but air. The oblivious ghostly vision continued across the street and ran past a gaping Rei.

"I'm gonna be late! I'm SO gonna be late!" The blonde phantom whined as she went.

Rei's hands were shaking as she rubbed her eyes. This was really getting scary. She was sure the other girl had been real. Was she seeing ghosts? Or was this a figment of her deranged and damaged mind. She shook her head to clear it and checked to see if the apparition was still there.

The blonde was still there, her slender figure was moving farther and farther away with each step though... Like in the hospital, Rei felt something pull at her. She knew she had to follow the "rabbit." She just HAD to. In spite of her reservations, she tightened her hold on her book bag and hastened after the strange vision

The apparition led her through a series of twists and turns, street after street. Rei knew she would never find her way back to TA Gakuen, and knew that Haruka might probably freak out when she realized she was gone. But she didn't turn back. Her fear had melted away to be replaced by a nagging curiosity. Where was this rabbit taking her?

Then she found herself running through a short and narrow alley. The apparition took a sharp turn to the right and disappeared from view. Rei pumped her legs faster and followed right after her. When she ran around the corner, the sight that greeted her caused her to come into a clumsy stop. She felt the blood drain away from her face, and her suddenly weakened hands lost their grip on the book bag-- dropping it to the ground with a clatter.

She screamed.

* * *

Makoto was walking home, lost in her thoughts. She could not help but feel like she was forgetting something important, and it bothered her. She was not the type to forget about important things. She tried to remember when she thought she had lost her memories and her mind instantly brought her back to a memory of lunch time with Ami. She and the other girl were eating lunch one minute then poof-- nothing. According to her friend, the both of them had fallen asleep in the middle of things-- and what troubled Makoto the most was that she could not remember how that happened.

She walked inside a familiar alley, it was a short cut that would bring her directly across the block. She jumped when she heard a scream.

Muggings were common occurrences in this secretive alley, and Makoto realized that one was taking place right now. She ran in the direction of the sound. She did not pause to think about what she was getting into and only knew she had to help immediately. She saw a dark-haired girl ahead of her, who was sitting carelessly on the ground and was staring forward with wide fearful eyes.

"Hey! What's wrong?" Makoto yelled as she neared her. When she was directly in the center of the intersecting alley, she finally saw the reason why the other girl was stupefied. It was the most horrible thing the brunette had ever seen.

The monster was a ruined gelatinous mess. It was like its creator had hastily molded a human-shaped blob of flesh and baked it too hastily. Its sagging fat and muscles looked raw and pink, and its limbs and head were unproportioned. It had nothing on its disfigured "face" but a vertical mouth-- which was currently latched onto the arm of some woman and was happily sucking away.

The woman in question seemed to be awake throughout the whole process, and looked like she was lost in some orgasmic stupor.

'What the hell is that!' Makoto thought, morbidly fascinated at the sight of the monster.

Then, the youma stepped away, releasing its victim with an audible pop. It had apparently finished feeding on the poor woman, and was now turning its bulbous head at the two girls' direction.

'Shit!' Both Makoto and Rei thought as it lumbered towards them. The dark-haired girl could not move, however, no matter how much she tried to will her body. She was paralyzed with fear.

For Makoto, adrenaline kicked in. She scooped Rei up in her arms and turned around to escape. But the youma was smart. It lifted its oversized arms and threw two pieces of itself across the girls in the opposite direction. The fleshy blobs twitched and re-molded itself-- forming into small, hairless dog-like shapes. These too, had nothing else but a vertical mouth. The youmas released a victorious, dull roar.

"What are we going to do?" Rei whispered to her supposed rescuer in a frightened voice.

"I-I don't know!" Makoto stammered back, and felt herself start to panic. There was no escape, and they were going to be eaten by these things!

"Tsk, tsk... This is just awful!" The girls look up at the sound, and saw a strange woman in a cat-mask and tight, black cat suit sitting on the ledge of a building. She tilted her head at them in greeting. "Destiny is getting insistent, isn't it? Two reunions in one day! How awful!"

"What the fuck are you sitting around for!" Rei screamed at her. She could not believe that some weirdo had just appeared and did nothing but yak away. "Help us!"

Cheshire tittered noiselessly. "Wrong question! You should be asking, WHY am I helping you?"

She did not wait for response. In one blurry movement, she somersaulted into the air. When she landed, crouching, on the ground-- the girls saw that her once empty hands were now clutching a pair of twin, black kodachis.

Before anyone could react, Cheshire rushed at the biggest youma and stabbed it on the stomach. The monster screamed a blood-curling scream and moved to violently bat its attacker away. But she was too quick for it, and jumped over its arm as it lashed out at her. She brought her knuckles down on top of it for leverage and pushed herself over the youma's head. When she landed behind it, she proceeded to hack away at its defenseless back.

Makoto's jaw dropped. Cheshire was an incredible and agile fighter! The monster was obviously no match for her. Just when she felt her hopes rising, she heard a pair of guttural growls. She and Rei looked down at the doggy youmas that were slowly inching towards them.

"I have to put you down..." The taller girl whispered in Rei's ear. When she saw the other nod, she slowly released her to stand on her own, then straightened. "Stay behind me." She told Rei, who looked back at her in annoyance. The dark-haired girl was not a damsel in distress and she was quite capable of defending herself. But she had no time to tell the other girl that however, because one of the youma leapt forward, its distorted jaws snapping. Makoto caught its forelegs. But the beast's lunge had been powerful, and it forced her to fall onto her back.

Rei saw an opening and quickly rushed past the other monster to escape. But the youma followed her, snapping at her heels. Makoto saw all of this and cursed. 'Great... I try to help and this is all I got?' The youma she was trying to hold back barked viciously into her face. For a small fry, it was surprisingly strong. Her arms were shaking with the effort to keep it back. And just when her hands were about to give out, the youma flew off her.

She looked up to see a smirking Rei swing a metal pipe over her shoulder. She arched a questioning eyebrow at the prone girl.

"Thanks..." Makoto grumbled and struggled to her feet.

Their heads jerked in the direction of the sound when they heard the giant youma emit its loud and final scream. They watched it crumple to the ground before its executioner. Seconds later, a strange black smoke flew out of its mouth.

Cheshire swiped her kodachis in the air in a swift arc-like motion-- flinging the monster's dark blood off the blades. When she saw the black smoke, she crossed her weapon over the other in front of her chest. The smoke seemed to pause for a moment, before it moved again-- this time towards the pure black weapons, like it was being sucked in.

Rei observed as the more smoke was vacuumed out of the youma, the more its body seemed to shrink. The smaller youmas, with the main body dead, began to melt. When the smoke was gone, and the deed was done, there was nothing left but a muddy puddle.

There was an awkward pause for a few moments until Rei spoke out. "Why did you help us?"

Cheshire seemed happy to be asked such a question and answered, "Because it is meant to be." She looked towards the youma's unfortunate victim and seemed to sigh. "Unfortunately, you are not meant to see this yet. Maestro Pillar has been slacking off again, I see..."

There was something strangely familiar about this infuriating woman and her riddle-speak, and Makoto knew it was related to the lost memories she had been pondering about earlier.

She tried to connect the dots. But it was getting increasingly difficult to concentrate because she was getting sleepy. The last conscious thing she saw was Rei, falling to the ground, through the sparkly violet haze.

When she woke up, it was dark and cold. She was confused. How did she get here? She looked around and saw nothing peculiar. She was in some sort of alley.

'People get mugged here a lot...' She thought with a puzzled frown. Was she carried here by the muggers? If that had been the case, they might probably still be around here somewhere, hiding in the shadows.

This time, Makoto let her eyes linger in the darker corners, and gasped when she caught sight of a motionless girl lying on the ground-- partially hidden by the shadows. She crawled over to her quickly and reached out to touch her face. The other girl was deathly cold.

Makoto feared the worst, but she had to make sure. She placed her hands on each side of the other's head and leaned over her. Her face hovered over the other's by mere centimeters. She was about to turn her head to listen if Rei was still breathing when she felt something furry brush against her hand.

She screamed and lifted it off the ground. It had been an instinctive reaction. Unfortunately without half of the hand supporting her up, Makoto lost her balance and toppled over. She quickly tried to return her hand back on the ground-- but it was too late.

Rei felt like she could not breath. Something was blocking her air ways, and there was an uncomfortable squeezed feeling on her chest. When she regained consciousness, she was painfully aware of two things.

One, someone's mouth was pressed against her own.

Two, that same someone had a hand on her breast.

She screamed into her assailant's mouth, who immediate jerked away.

"Shit! I'm so sorry! I--!" Makoto tried to apologize, but the next thing she knew, she was seeing stars.

The other girl stood over the dazed brunette. She saw the blood start to trickle down the side of the other's face from the wound Rei had inflicted with a metal pipe that she found nearby. Her face was red with embarrassment and rage. She had never felt so violated!

She looked down at the taller girl and realized that her first kiss (at least in her amnesiac perspective) was taken away by this stranger. "Y-You stupid PERVERT!" She shouted furiously, her eyes filling up with devastated tears, before she ran away and out of sight.

"Ow..." Makoto whimpered pathetically.

* * *

+Author's Note+

Hehe... Fencing. I have no idea how to play it. So pardon me if some fencing parts in the story are a little inaccurate. -.-;;; I had to make do with what I learned by watching my uncle. Piste is the fencing strip, where the actual sport occurs. It is narrow and separated by a center line. An epee is like the foil but heavier and with a bigger guard. Unlike the foil and the saber, you can hit a point "anywhere" on the body. It is much more difficult than saber and foil fencing since it is all about careful strategy and patience.

By double-touch, it means if both fencers can hit each other at the same time they both earn a point. Normally, it only takes one touch before the fencers are called to a halt and are repositioned again.

I have no idea where Shiba is exactly... But it's near Minato-ku soooo...

A kodachi is a Japanese short sword.

My gawd... I finished the chapter in one day? That explains why my hands and brain feel mooshy... O.o;;;

(EDIT)

(sheepish smile) I'd like to thank Alsike for pointing out a few things to me regarding the fencing scene.

Yes, the epee bout looks more like a saber bout than anything-- but I am already aware of that. As I've mentioned to him before, with Rei and Tezuka being hot-headed, you can understand why it ended up the way it did-- fast and furious.

And while epee is difficult in and of itself, the other two (foil and saber) are also difficult in their own rights.

Domo arigato gozaimasu, Alsike-san!


	8. Haiku 7: The Consequences of Impatience

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_Do not hasten so.  
To unravel destiny.  
Tread through quietly..._

* * *

**Haiku 7: The Consequences of Impatience**

Michiru was buried in tons of paperwork. There were too many things to sort out, and too little time to do so. She preferred it that way though since it kept her busy, and working overtime meant she was paid a lot more. But this sort of lifestyle did not come without a price. She was tired all the time, she had constant headaches... and what was worse-- it kept her from spending time with her daughter.

She looked at the framed picture on the table beside her, and at the smiling face of a dark-haired, violet eyed little girl who stood between herself and Mamoru. 'Oh Hotaru...' She thought with a sad sigh. Any daughter would have resented their mother for being absent in their life all the time. But not little Hotaru. Her daughter always greeted her with a warm and ready smile. The younger girl was so mature for her age... She supposed she got that from her father.

It was dark outside by the time she was done with her work. She supposed she could not avoid going home now. Perhaps, if she was lucky enough, Minako would have worn Mamoru out by the time she got back.

Mamoru...

The thought of him brought even more guilty feelings to the surface. 'You should just leave him.' Her conscience told her. 'You're not happy with him and he knows it. And you're hurting him by staying.' But she could not... She was bound to him in more ways than one-- the biggest reasons being obligation and pity.

She put her coat on, grabbed her purse and left her office. Before she entered the elevator, one of her overtime officemates called out to her, "Leaving early, Kaioh-san?"

She pressed a button for the ground floor. "Yes... My work is done, have a good night Katsuhiko-san." She waved at the other man just before the elevator's doors slid to a close. She did not have a car tonight since it was being impounded for illegal parking and speeding. She really was going to kill Minako for that one.

When she exited the building, two things caught her attention. A very confused and flustered girl was pacing up and down the street, and she was holding a metal pipe in her hand. When the girl saw her, her eyes lit up before approaching her, waving the pipe in a beckoning gesture. Michiru, fearing that she was going to be assaulted, tried to move away quickly but the pleading voice stopped her.

"No, wait! Please, don't leave. My name is Hino Rei, and I was wondering if I could ask you for some directions."

"Put that thing down first." Michiru retorted warily. 'Hino Rei? Isn't that...'

Rei blushed and dropped the pipe immediately, sending it clattering noisily on the pavement. "Err... Right. Sorry."

With the 'weapon' gone, Michiru was confident enough to approach her. She carefully squinted her eyes at the other girl's face before they widened in recognition. "It IS you... I can't believe it. What are you doing out here all by yourself, Hino-san?"

Rei was encouraged by the look of recognition on the other woman's face and wondered if she personally knew her somehow. But considering the fact that her father was a public figure, the celebrity status might extend to Rei herself. "I... got lost." She told the aquamarine-haired woman. "Do I... do I know you?" She frowned at the sympathetic expression that suddenly colored the other's face. The younger suddenly realized then that pity was something she hated to the core. But she set her pride aside because she knew she needed help.

"No you don't, Hino-san. My name is Kaioh Michiru." The taller beauty answered, bowing slightly after her humble introduction. "What is it that you need, Hino-san? Would you like to borrow my cell phone to contact your father?"

"I don't have his number... and I don't remember how to get back home." Rei hated herself. She should have asked her father and Haruka how to contact them in case of emergencies like these. But she was so mad at her father this morning, it never even crossed her mind. "I was wondering if you could show me where TA Gakuen is? My ride is probably waiting for me there." 'I hope...'

"Of course! It's just a few blocks away from here. If you want, I will take you there?" Michiru smiled down at her kindly. "If you don't mind walking, that is."

"Yes," Rei released a relieved sigh, "yes please."

They began walking down the street in silence, which the dark-haired girl was grateful for. Michiru looked like she wanted the quietness to sort out her thoughts, just like Rei herself. Despite her initial impression, the older woman looked like she carried a lot of burdens. The insightful Rei could see through her serene facade the aura of sadness that surrounded Michiru.

The few blocks that the older woman had told her turned out to be two, and no sooner had they emerged through a busy intersection did Rei see the familiar sight of TA's gorgeous gate, and the yellow Mazda Miata in front of it. "Thank god..." She exclaimed then turned to a bemused Michiru beside her. "Oh, and thank you too."

"It's nothing, Hino-san. I'm glad I could help." The beautiful woman told her. She turned around to walk away, but Rei ran after her and stopped her.

"Would you like a ride home? I mean... I just want to return something for your kindness."

Michiru looked thoughtful for a moment. Her house was a train ride away. What harm would it do to accept Rei's generous offer? "I would like that, Hino-san. Thank you."

"Great!" The dark-haired girl beamed at her and led her towards the Miata.

Upon seeing the approaching women, Haruka leapt out of the car-- she had a worried and anxious look on her face. "Rei-dono! Where have you been! I've been waiting for you for hours!" When the younger girl was near enough, she rapped a knuckle on top of her head. "What's the purpose of this thing here? Don't you ever use it? You can't remember how to get back! Or did you forget you can't remember anything."

"Haruka-san..." Rei began dangerously.

"Ara..." Haruka's head shot up and she turned to acknowledge the aqua-haired woman beside her. "If it's really too inconvenient, Hino-san, I'll just take the train home."

The handsome blonde woman stared at Michiru for a long and intense time with a strange and unreadable expression on her face before she suddenly erupted indignantly, "Who's this! You shouldn't be accompanying strangers, Rei-dono! That's really gullible of you!"

Rei wanted to slap her forehead. Haruka was really embarrassing and rude... just like her paranoid father. She wondered who influenced who... Her father or Haruka? "This 'stranger' helped me, Haruka-san. If it weren't for her, I would still be lost."

"That's right," Michiru added coolly, put off by this blonde's discourtesy and accusing tone. All of a sudden, she didn't think it would be a great idea to ride with these two after all. "It's been a privilege helping you, Hino-san, but I need to be getting back home now." Without further ado, she gracefully turned around and walked away.

"Haruka-san..." The dark-haired girl hissed, and turned to look at her guardian then paused at the look of agony that flashed in Haruka's features. In a softer tone, she repeated, "Haruka-san?"

There was a slight pause, before the taller woman looked down at Rei with a small and self-deprecating smile. "Faux pas?"

"Stupid." Rei shook her head in exasperation. "Look, let's just go home." She walked ahead towards the car and got in. Haruka slid in beside her a moment later.

"What happened to you anyway?" The blonde asked as she started the car and gunned the engine, before driving out to the street.

The question immediately brought the face of the pervert brunette in her mind which caused Rei's face to flame up with shame and rage. "I don't want to talk about it..."

* * *

Michiru's feet were aching by the time she reached her house. She made to open the door when she heard muffled giggles behind it. With a slight frown, she opened it and stepped inside. "Good evening everyone." She called out loudly as she took off her coat and placed it, along with her purse, on the coat rack beside the door.

"Mama!" She heard her daughter shout around the corner, where the dining room was, before an eleven-year-old girl burst through the open doorway to run into her arms. "Mama! I'm glad you're home!"

"Hello, Taru-chan." Michiru's voice was full of love and warmth as she returned the tight embrace. She leaned down slightly to peck Hotaru's forehead before continuing. "Is Minako-chan still here?"

"Uh huh," Hotaru beamed up at her, not quite letting go of her mother just yet. "You want me to call her?"

Michiru shook her head. Instead she, with her small daughter latched onto her waist, moved towards the dining room where she found the grinning blonde and a softly smiling Mamoru in their places around the table. "Hello, Minako-chan. Hi, love."

"Welcome home, Michiru." Her husband offered sincerely.

"Kaioh-san!" Minako chirped brightly as she waved a fork, with some bits of fish stuck on the ends, in her direction. "Mamo-kun and Taru-chan invited me for dinner. You know how I love Mamo-kun's cooking, so I hope you don't mind!"

"It's not a problem, Minako-chan..." The aqua-haired woman nodded before taking her place at the end of the table across from Mamoru. "I thought you went to see Mizuno-chan earlier."

"I did?" Minako looked really confused before the unconcerned blonde shrugged. "I must've changed my mind and went here instead." Why would she even want to go near that horrible school anyway? Not that she wouldn't if Ami had asked her to visit... But she could always hang out with her best friend on the weekends-- preferably away from Juuban and its troublemaking students.

"How was work, dear?" Mamoru asked her. When she turned to her husband, she could see the wariness in his eyes.

"It was tiresome. But that's how a job is supposed to be." She chuckled and lifted the metallic lid on her plate to reveal the still steaming food inside. Her mouth watered at the sight of fish in sweet and sour sauce, mashed potatoes, and green peas. "But afterwards, " she went on conversationally, surprising herself and Mamoru. She was not usually the one to continue conversations during the dinner table-- let alone with her husband. "Afterwards, I saw Hino Rei. The poor girl didn't know where she was."

"Isn't she...?" Minako leaned forward interestedly.

"Uh huh. Statesman Hino's daughter."

Mamoru looked concerned. "Was she alright?"

"I brought her back to her... friend." The aqua-haired woman made a face at the memory of the rude blonde.

"What a coincidence!" Minako exclaimed and turned to Mamoru beside her. "Did you know I was supposed to perform for the Benefit Hino Rei-san's father organized?"

"You don't say?"

Michiru was content to let the pair continue the topic without her. It was better that way. She wanted to concentrate on her food in peace. However, she was aware of the inquiring violet eyes that were directed at her, and she turned to her side to see Hotaru looking at her oddly. "Yes, Taru-chan?"

"Do you believe in fate, mama?"

Michiru nearly choked on her food. She reached for her glass of water beside her and took a mouthful of it before responding hoarsely. "What made you ask that?"

The little girl shrugged diffidently, and looked at her hands which were fidgeting with the creamy-white table napkin. "I dunno... My sensei said that there are no such things as coincidence and that things happen because it's fated from the beginning."

"That's an interesting philosophy." Michiru smiled slightly and went on in a scholarly tone, "You know what philosophy means, Taru-chan?"

"Philosophy is an examination of basic concepts, a branch of knowledge dedicated to the systematic examination of basic concepts like the truth." The young girl answered thoughtfully, intelligence shining in her eyes. "It also means... a personal belief in something."

"What is your personal belief in fate, Taru-chan?" Michiru continued shrewdly.

"You make it." Hotaru answered confidently. "There's no such thing as a fixed destiny!"

The older woman smiled at her daughter proudly and reached out to brush her bangs away from her eyes. "There's your answer, Taru-chan."

"Hey, what are you guys talking over there?" Mamoru asked them, affection was in his eyes when he gazed at his only child. "Can I join in?"

"This is girl-talk, papa!" Hotaru stuck her tongue out at him and received a laugh in return.

"Hey! I'm a girl! Can't I join in too?" Minako exclaimed as she tried to scoot over towards them.

"Nuh-uh! It's too complicated for you, Mina-onee-san."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

Michiru was done eating. Suddenly, she was not hungry any more. She gathered her plate and her glass before rising to deliver them to the kitchen. She did not notice Mamoru look after her retreating form before following after her. She placed her dirty dish and glass in the sink before she turned around. She nearly fell into her husband's wheelchair if he hadn't reached out to catch her by the hips.

"You seem to be in a good mood tonight, Michiru." He looked up at her hopefully.

"On the contrary, Mamoru..." Michiru had a strained smile on her face. "My head and my feet are aching, and I just want to lie down."

The disappointment was quickly masked by his concern. "Oh? Would you like me to fix you a nice, warm bubble bath?"

"Yeah... I'd like that..." She reached out to cup the side of his handsome face gratefully, instantly feeling him press against her hand as he soaked in the sensation of honest affection in that small gesture.

* * *

Witching hour, the dead of the night, the unholy time-- it was three o'clock in the morning. Cheshire was running across the roof, jumping from one to the other in easy pursuit of the black smoke. In fact, there were a handful of sources where the smoke was rising from, and they flew in the air above Cheshire in one direction-- towards Tokyo Tower.

She saw another one rise ahead of her. And when she jumped the small gap between two buildings, she happened to glance down to see a youma. Its head was raised, its jaws were wide open in a silent roar, and at its feet was its smiling catatonic victim. The smoke came from its open mouth.

"Why..." Cheshire cooed, "Maestro Pillar is so careless!" When she reached the tower, she crawled and climbed up its beams with stealth and efficiency-- evading the drowsy guards easily. She found a predictably intoxicated Pillar sitting near the edge, outside the secluded observatory, with her long and exposed legs dangling in mid air. "Working overtime, Maestro Pillar... That is uncharacteristic of you."

Beside the kimono-clad woman was a bright-red oriental lantern--- and it was obviously where all the black smoke was being sucked into. "A-yup!" She answered and giggled loudly. "I want to get it over with in one night so I can 'par-tay' the rest of the week."

"Silly..." Cheshire moved behind her, crouched, and began to run her nails across Pillar's back in lazy and playful strokes. The other woman sighed blissfully and arched towards the teasing scratches. "You're so silly, Maestro Pillar. Why didn't you realize that by rushing this, you are going to catch unwanted attention?" She dug her nails sharply, piercing through the robe to prick the skin. Pillar gasped in pain. "Let their misery out."

"Let me go!" The other woman retorted angrily. She was not mad at Cheshire for hurting her. In fact, things like this normally brought her masochistic satisfaction-- only if she saw it coming. But right now, the unexpected action only served to bring her drunken mind into painful clarity. And she did not take kindly to people who made her sober.

She waved a hand over the lantern. The black smoke stilled before reversing its progress to return to where it originally came from. "Now lemme go!" She whined. "I'm losing my high for chrissakes!"

Cheshire released her then crawled, cat-like, to Pillar's left side. "You are not going to believe what happened earlier, Maestro Pillar." She purred and settled herself to lie on her side, resting her head on her palm, facing the dim lights of the sleeping city. "They met."

When the other Maestro let go of her, Pillar shamelessly opened the top of her kimono and pushed it down to her waist. Her nipples hardened instantly when they were exposed to the cold, night air. She grabbed one of the sake bottles beside her and poured it over her shoulder to anesthetize her wounds. When Cheshire spoke, she stopped and brought the bottle to her lips to take a healthy swig-- determined to regain her happy oblivion.

"They ALL met?" Pillar gasped out, after she pulled the bottle away from her lips. She did not bother to cover herself up again. Why did she have to? She was content to show off her lovely body if Cheshire were interested enough to glance in her way. "That sucks... I was hoping I could enjoy my vices in peace for a couple more weeks."

"We cannot rush, yet we cannot delay." Cheshire answered mysteriously. "Everything should be timed perfectly. But my, my, my... Destiny is definitely rushing. I'm having a hard time trying to keep the balance as it is."

"Yeah about that..." Pillar leaned back lazily to look at the other woman. 'She looks kinda hot in that profile...' She thought drunkenly and licked her lips. "Why'd you help them anyway? And don't give me that balance crap... Are you trying to betray us, Cheshire?"

"Wrong question..." Cheshire rolled onto her back and craned her neck up slightly to look at the upsidedown countenance of the other leering woman. "You should be asking... Why am I not choosing sides? But to answer your first question... I helped them, because the mistress needed them alive."

Pillar took this opportunity to change her posture until she was on all fours and hovering over Cheshire. "Why?" She asked, her voice low and sultry-- the question was meant to be teasing since she didn't really care about continuing the conversation any way. She leaned down and kissed the surface of the mask's grinning mouth. Cheshire did not move. At least, she didn't looked like she did-- until Pillar felt something cold and sharp slide against the back of her neck.

"Don't kiss me... ever... again..." Cheshire's voice was unusually icy and hard.

"Why?" This time Pillar wanted an answer, and her tone was peevish. "Look, Cheshire... Your lover's been dead for a long, long time. Don't you think it's time for you to move on?"

The other woman's hand, that held the kodachi over Pillar's neck, trembled. But instead of slitting the other woman's throat, she grabbed a fistful of her hair and pulled her away. She shifted into a kneeling position, still holding onto the grimacing Pillar and forcing her to bend back cumbersomely, then leaned her face over hers. "I would be careful with how you word your questions around me, if I were you."

The painful grip on her hair and the hatred that oozed out of the other woman's eyes exhilarated Pillar. When Cheshire saw how lustful the other was becoming, she flung her back and rose to her feet. "You're disgusting, Maestro Pillar." She stated indifferently, before she jumped off the tower and disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

"Makoto-san!" Ami cried out in shock and ran to meet her approaching friend. The brunette had a bandage around her head, and the gloomy expression on her face served to alarm the smaller girl even more. "What happened to you?"

"I don't want to talk about it..." Makoto deadpanned, not stopping her sluggish stride towards Juuban. Ami bit her lower lip and walked beside her.

"Are you alright though? Does it hurt?"

"It hurts like a metal pipe was rammed into my skull." She grumbled, gingerly touching where the bruised area was at the side of her head. "If you really wanted to know... I was attacked by a crazy witch last night. She," putting on an incredulous and indignant tone, she continued, "HIT me..."

'Poor Makoto...' Ami thought and picked up her pace so that she could move in front of her sulking friend, forcing the other girl to stop and look down at her. "Did you have a concussion last night?" She asked professionally. "Where did she hit you? Did you see a doctor?" She tried to touch Makoto's head only to have it pulled back from her reach. She paused to take in the puzzled and unsure look in the other girl's eyes and smiled at her. "Oh don't worry. My mother is a... head doctor. She taught me the basic stuff when it came to head injuries."

"Eeehhh... I'm alright, Ami-san." The brunette shifted uncomfortably, feeling strangely undecided at the thought of Ami touching her. But the blue-haired girl would not take no for an answer, and reached out again-- this time managing to successfully place both hands on each side of Makoto's face.

Inadvertently, their eyes met. Ami felt the familiar flutter in her stomach at the reality of the intimacy of this moment. For Makoto, she was an emotionally confused wreck. Before their thoughts could stray further, the taller girl felt someone jostle her shoulder. "Sorry..." Some distracted girl muttered as she scurried away.

The 'moment' was instantly broken.

Ami quickly pulled her hands away and hid them behind her back. She looked down at her feet and shuffled them nervously. "You um... seem to be fine, Makoto-san."

"Toldja..." The brunette simply muttered, looking at anywhere other than her smaller friend. Suddenly feeling restless, she stalked ahead-- and as usual, Ami followed behind her silently.

'This is going nowhere,' the smaller girl thought. If she wanted to move this relationship with Makoto to a higher level she was going to have to take the initiative because Makoto apparently wouldn't. She knew the other girl must've felt something earlier. She wasn't dense enough to miss the look she had given her. Apparently, Makoto was... And Ami was resolved to help her face the facts.

She had never pursued a person romantically before. But she read a lot of books-- especially romance novels, and knew that the most basic thing to do was to ask the girl for a date. Goodness... It was going to take a lot of smooth subtlety, a LOT of bravery, and a little bit of sneaky manipulation. She had to play her cards right, because Makoto might not be as accepting as she had been when she realized she was attracted to another girl.

She glanced at Makoto to see that she was absorbed in her inner thoughts. 'She's so cute when she's so distracted...' She thought with a smile. This was the perfect opportunity to ask. "Say Makoto-san... Are you free this weekend?"

"Nah..." The brunette mumbled.

"You um..." It was now or never. "You want to see a concert this weekend? My best friend gave me a couple of tickets so..." Well, that was a white lie. Minako always invited her to her concerts for free (if it was around the area)-- and she was pretty well-known among her best friend's crew already. They always let her inside backstage without a second glance. But she didn't want Makoto to know about her link with the blonde Superstar just yet... Her previous experience in her old school taught her that revealing her relationship with Minako only served to attract hypocritical people. Since then, she was very wary with whom to reveal that information to. Maybe after they got a little closer, she would tell her all about her best friend.

Makoto perked up and looked down at Ami with wide eyes. "You don't mean the Aino Minako Benefit concert, do you?"

Ami was genuinely surprised. "Yes, I do. Were you already planning to go?"

"Uh huh." The brunette had an excited glint in her green depths. "My friends were hired as back-up singers by Aino-san. Even if I didn't want to go-- but I really want to-- I'm obligated to be there to watch their big debut."

"Y-you met, Aino-san?" The blue-haired girl swallowed hard.

"You could say that..." Makoto smiled wryly.

This was too good to be true! The taller girl meeting her best friend was tangible proof that she was deeply connected to the brunette's life. The thought warmed Ami and boosted her confidence. It was meant to be, somehow. She was meant to be a part of Makoto's life. It should be, right?

"You want to go together?" Ami lowered her eyes shyly. "I... I bet it's pretty crowded over there, so we should buddy up."

"Sure," Makoto nodded and winked at the other girl, "we don't want the bigger people to trample on poor little you." The blue-haired girl giggled before slapping her friend gently on the shoulder.

* * *

Yasujiro was tapping his foot impatiently as he stood outside the door of his daughter's bedroom. He glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time before sighing in exasperation. It was already past six in the morning. "Rei-chan? Are you ready yet?" He called out and started pacing again up and down the hallway again. Haruka watched all this, from where she was leaning against the wall, across the other man with a small amused smile. "We're going to be late. You know I have a meeting later at seven."

"Then go ahead already!" Came the annoyed yell from behind the wooden entrance. "I'll be fine with Haruka-san!"

"You said that yesterday, and you went missing for almost an hour! Now just hurry up in there and Ten'ou-kun will drive the both of us together."

"UGH! Just go already, dad! Or else I'll WALK to school!"

"Sir..." Haruka interrupted gently before the man could speak. "I think it's best if we do as she says."

Considering the wisdom in the blonde's words, Yasujiro's shoulders slumped. He was only trying to bridge the gap that had unknowingly grown between him and his daughter, but at the rate he was going, he was aware that he was only going to drive Rei further away. He realized all that since their first major fight yesterday, but he couldn't help it. He nearly lost his daughter. She was the only thing that was left of his beloved, deceased wife... Rei was the life they created together out of their love.

Seeing the forlorn look on his face, Haruka pushed away from the wall to lay a comforting hand on Yasujiro's broad shoulder. "I'll never take my eyes away from her, sir." She told him with genuine regard. "You will have nothing to worry about while I'm on the job."

"Thank you, Ten'ou-kun." He made to leave, when he suddenly remembered something. He opened his briefcase and took out an envelope. "By the way, I want you to have this and give the other one to Rei-chan."

Haruka took the envelope from his hand. She did not have to look inside to know what it contained. "You're not going to attend the concert?"

"God, no!" The older man shook his head. "All that loud music, and sickeningly sweet lyrics about teenage girls in love? It's not for boring politicians like me." The both of them laughed at that. He smiled at his assistant and patted her on the arm. "I want you to accompany Rei-chan in my place. I think it's about time I give her the space she needed anyway."

* * *

Minako was brought awake by the insistent nudging on the side of her forearm. She groaned pitifully from her place on the bear skin rug and batted the annoying foot away. "Nud n'w..." She mumbled and turned around to her other side to return to sleep.

Michiru would not give up however, and knelt down awkwardly, as much as her leg-hugging black skirt allowed her to, to begin shaking the daylights out of the blonde. "Minako-chan!" She exclaimed loudly. "You are waking up whether you like it or not! The Benefit is in four days! You have rehearsals to attend to!"

Minako tried to ignore the nagging voice for a moment, but it was inevitable that she was going to take the words into serious account. With a sleepy sigh, she stretched out on the soft rug and yawned girlishly. "It's alr'dy th's w'kend?" She asked her, not quite awake enough to bother with proper diction. She was exhausted from yet another party she had attended last night (right after she left her manager's house) and she was determined to indulge in laziness for the rest of the morning... unless she had a proper cup of coffee, she really was going to loaf in the bear skin rug all morning.

"Yes, it's this weekend." Michiru straightened up and placed her hands to her hips impatiently. "Up and at 'em, Minako-chan. We have a lot to do today. First, you're going to go over the dance steps with the rest of the crew, then you're going to have to promote the Benefit a bit on Agaru TV and sing one song."

"You're kidding me." The obviously energy-consuming activities was going to kill her! The blonde wanted to go back to sleep again. But instead, she struggled to her feet and stretched again-- hearing her spine pop into place when she did so. Her backache was particularely stubborn this morning. She really "should" start sleeping on the bed again. She hadn't been able to for the past few weeks already-- simply stumbling sleepily or drunkenly into whichever comfortable place was the nearest. Maybe she ought to buy a smaller suite? Nah... "I need coffee..." She mumbled drowsily. 'And lots of it!'

She could sense curious eyes on her and she regarded her frowning manager with a sheepish smile. She already knew what the other woman had seen and what she was going to say. It was routine. It was sweet of her really. But she should know by now that this kind of lifestyle was the only thing that made the blonde genuinely happy. Besides, she knew when to stop when she really needed to. "Yeah, I know! I should stop wearing myself down before the concert. Don't worry, last night is the last time!"

"Minako-chan..." There was deep worry in her manager's voice and she immediately whirled around to hug the other woman.

"Relax. I have a lot of energy left. And I'll get a good night's sleep tonight." She assured Michiru then pulled away to grin cockily. "Besides! It's only a one hour concert, Kaioh-san-- which I have four more days to sufficiently prepare for. What's the worst that could happen to me?"

* * *

+Author's Note+

I have nothing important to say except:

"THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!" (bows a lot furiously)

...to all my readers. I really appreciate your comments and honest criticism! And if I may be so bold... Please send me more! XD It's good for my ego and productive for my writing.


	9. Haiku 8: Have We Met?

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_Sometimes it feels like,  
I've seen you somewhere before.  
Your face is fleeting..._

* * *

**Haiku 8: Have We Met?**

No one knew what the queen looked like. To look at her would only bring upon your untimely demise... This was why her crown was also a mask that covered the upper half of her face and all of the area on the back of her head. She did not cover her identity to hide any hideousness. No, in fact... There were whispers of a great beauty underneath the golden crown. A wondrous beauty. A horrible beauty... It was said that only the queen's most trusted mediator had seen a full glimpse of her. The others envied Capello as fervently as everyone hated the elusive Cheshire.

Capello liked to think of himself as an Italian Englishman, as a man of gentility and passion. He was fond of rich suits that were tailored to fit his exceptionally lanky form, and wore matching top hats that would cover his oiled, dark hair-- and one would often see him in such attires. He had an eyepiece over his right, blue eye. Of course, his eyesight was perfect. But he liked to look the part of an English nobleman-- the Duke of Diamonds, to be exact.

He stood in front of the immensely tall, arched opening with white Valkyrie statues standing on each side-- like petrified guards. The only thing that separated the outside from the inside was a luxuriant, bright-red, velvet curtain that looked like a bloody waterfall at first glance. "My queen..." He called out unassumingly. "May I enter?"

"You may."

He pushed the curtain aside and walked in. The queen's chamber was dark and windowless and looked like it was rarely inhibited. But there was always a lingering scent of feminine fragrance in the air-- which never failed to make Capello feel drunk with want. Contrary to the pure-white, stoned walls that comprised of the whole of their secret lair, the queen's private quarters were made out of black marble. There was nothing else in the room except for a generously-sized closet with a changing screen beside it, a large king-sized bed against the wall across from the entrance, and a beautiful ebony dresser with a mirror beside it-- where the queen happened to be sitting in front of, with her back towards him and wearing nothing but a silky red robe.

He gazed at her with open hunger and longing as she lovingly brushed her long, silky hair. He desired her, but he knew that he could not have her. He knew Pillar desired her. The children desired her. Probably Cheshire as well... No one was immune to the queen's strange and unexplainable magnetism. That was why she was called, by all, as the Queen of Hearts.

Capello stopped, several meters away from her, and knelt on one knee. He took off his hat and tucked it against his chest before bowing his head courteously. "You called for me, my queen?"

"What have you heard from Cheshire?" She spoke, her voice soft and emotionless.

"The reunion will happen earlier than expected. She has reported that they will all meet in four days." He answered, never taking his eyes off the floor. "She claims she has only interfered once. But my other sources say that she has prevented the senshi from meeting... Twice." He pursed his lips together grimly. Cheshire was a sensitive topic among them, and like the others-- he had no love for the treacherous spy. "If you will permit me to ask, my queen, why do leave her unpunished? She has justifiably prevented the children from acting rashly... But the second time, she saved two of the senshis without probable reason. If they had awakened then, we could have finally executed the plan and began the coup. Why did Cheshire delay the inevitable?"

The only indication that the queen was affected by his inquisitive words was when her hand, that held hairbrush, paused before resuming its masterful stroking. "She was the first of the Maestros to betray her world." She began patiently. "And she will see through the creation of our paradise until the end."

"My queen," Capello sounded confused and wary. He could not believe that his queen would be this naive. How could she put her trust in Cheshire so easily? She was too kind for her own good.

"Do no worry, Capello," she reassured him as if she had read his mind, "Cheshire is bound to her own fate... which is to die as soon as the ending of this game has come. She will die before she could ultimately betray us. I have glimpsed at her future."

If it was possible, Capello lowered his head even more-- ashamed to have doubted the queen in the first place. "I apologize, my queen. I have foolishly forgotten that you have Time on your side."

"It's quite alright, Capello..." There was a hint of a smile in her voice. "Now tell me about this reunion... Will all key players be there?"

"Yes, my queen." He heard a gentle shuffle of silk against skin, and the brief rattling sound of a hairbrush being placed atop a black enameled surface. Then there was a steady sound of soft padding-- of bare feet against the marbled floor, and he felt his heart race when he realized that the queen was moving towards him. He did not dare move.

"I want you to send the twins to them..." She spoke quietly, and ghosted her long, slender fingers against his paling cheeks. "Tell them I want the senshis killed."

* * *

Makoto, Seiya, Yaten and Taiki were all squeezed inside the battered, blue Volkswagen-- with the eldest of them behind the wheel. Today was the big day! The Benefit Concert was supposed to occur late in the afternoon. But they all left earlier than usual because the concert was going to be held in Aoyama, which was a mile and a half away from Minato, at the Chichibunomiya rugby stadium. Plus, they had to beat the traffic.

The sisters were excited. But Makoto felt sluggish. She had not slept at all last night, and it was not because of the concert. There had been too many conflicted, unresolved thoughts running around in her head, the most prominent being her undeniable attraction to certain people... Well, to narrow it down, it was her attraction to girls in particular. The first time she felt the pull was with the teen idol Aino Minako. But that was normal, right? She was a celebrity, and an icon to be idolized!

Then there was Ami. She could try to fool herself for as long as she wanted to. But when she could not stop thinking about kissing the other girl senseless-- she knew it would take a serious amount of mind-fucking to find a reasonable explanation for THAT. Was she really attracted to girls?

The question made her remember that night in the alley.

She brought a hand in front of her face and concentrated. She tried to recall the feeling of the breast she had accidentally squeezed-- unconsciously curling her fingers up and down in the process. Instead of feeling any sort of hint of desire, or even experimental detachment, it only brought chills up and down her spine... especially when the image of the unnamed, dark-haired girl's rage-filled face filled her traumatized mind.

Ugh! She shuddered in aversion. No way... She was not attracted to girls. But she had a stupid little crush on Ami. Big deal! It was just a phase. That's right. It was a stupid hormonal phase. If only there were decent boys in Juuban, she would probably not even consider thinking about these kinds of things.

"Mako-chan... What are you doing...?"

She jerked her hand away from view, and turned to see her friends looking at her oddly. She gave them all an awkward smile and shrugged. "Nothing. My uh... wrist was feeling a little weird, that's all." They did not argue. After all, they had other important things to worry about.

They reached the stadium, after an hour's ride, without hassle. There was already a small crowd milling around the barred entrance. They parked the beetle in the parking lot in a spot reserved specifically for the concert's main crew.

"You going to come with us, backstage, Mako-chan?" Taiki asked the other brunette as everyone got out of the car. Seiya and Yaten went to the front to pop the trunk open to take their stuff out. Makoto glanced at her wrist watch. She and Ami had agreed to meet outside the backstage an hour before the concert. But there was still another hour to kill before that. So she nodded at Taiki and smiled.

"Sure. I'd love to see what happens behind the scenes in this sort of shindig."

The Chichibunomiya rugby stadium was roofless and spacious which could seat more than twenty-five thousand people. But since the field will also be occupied-- it was predicted that the stadium would be filled up to at least fifty thousand spectators. The stage took up the whole northern wing. For those who would be too far to see the performance on the temporarily-constructed stage, there was a large video screen above it that would magnify the scenes that would take place.

Excitement hung in the air. Even though Minako and her crew were not first-timers to large concerts like these, they were all still anxious to perform to the best of their ability. Technicians and roadies were rushing out and about to set everything perfectly. The rest of the musicians rehearsed in the background. Minako was on stage with her dancers doing last minute practices.

When Makoto and the sisters saw all this, they were all blown away.

"WOW!" Yaten exclaimed and rushed ahead of them to get a better view and take all the scenery in. Her heart was pounding furiously-- probably trying to tattoo this image in her soul. She felt someone wrap an arm around her shoulders and looked up to see a grinning Seiya standing beside her. Taiki appeared to her left and mimicked her sister's position. They huddled closely alongside each other and looked forward with wonder written all over their faces.

Makoto hung back to give them privacy. This was THEIR moment, when the full impact of their dreams came into full realization. And she was happy to let them indulge in that blissful high for as long as it lasted. Suddenly that moment came into an abrupt halt when the voice that resonated out of the large amplifiers echoed across the stadium.

When Minako was in her groove, there was little else that would distract her from her focus. But the instant she saw the Three Lights, she just had to stop everything else. The dancers behind her paused as well, confused at what was going on with their Star. The blonde's heart started to race when she caught sight of a familiar face behind her three back-up singers. Then she screamed into the microphone.

"MAKOTO-SAN!"

The aforementioned brunette cringed, and then paled when she realized who it was that had yelled her name. "What the hell..." She muttered just as she saw Minako run down to the side of the stage and rushed towards her.

"You know, Mako-chan..." Taiki moved beside her quickly. "Aino-san didn't know you were a girl the first time you met her."

"Huh?" Makoto was dumbfounded. She didn't know why, but the thought of Minako realizing that she wasn't what she had pretended to be gave her an ominous feeling. "Why didn't you guys tell me that before?" She hissed at her friends.

"We tried." Yaten rolled her eyes. "But a certain SOMEONE didn't want to listen to us."

Makoto needed to get out of here... fast! She whirled around and ran across the field towards the exit. Seiya nodded shrewdly and walked ahead to try and bar Minako's way. She didn't know what exactly was going on, but she knew that her friend had to get away before Minako could catch her. "Hey! Minako-sempai! How goes it? Are you excited about the concert?"

"Move it!" The blonde pop star snapped, which caused a surprised Seiya to jump out of the way just as she stormed past. The other sisters exchanged exasperated looks behind her.

Minako's resolute blue eyes were zeroed in on her fleeing quarry. She did not know why Makoto was running away from her. But she was determined not to let 'him' get away. She was incredibly fast despite the fact that she was wearing high heels. But infatuation... lust... delusion... whatever... can do that to a person. When she was near enough, she launched herself into the air to tackle Makoto to the ground.

The force caused them to roll on the grass for a moment, before Makoto was finally laid flat on her back with Minako on top of her. "Gotcha!" The blonde crowed triumphantly and straightened up. She looked down to grin at her catch, but the smile quickly fell from her face when she took in the evidently feminine form in below her. "Y-you're a girl!"

* * *

The stadium was practically mobbed by anxious fans. Ami had a hard time trying to push herself through the larger, stubborn bodies, and for once she was thankful she was small enough to slip through. She saw the fenced 'restricted area' a little ways ahead of her and walked towards it. She adjusted her shoulder bag which contained three plastic bottles of water and a few chips. It didn't hurt to come prepared for the concert, even if she knew it was only an hour's worth of it. She saw Makoto leaning against the wired barrier, obviously waiting for someone. "Makoto-san!" She called out excitedly and waved at her furiously to try and catch her attention.

The brunette turned towards her and waved back. Her smile was listless-- Ami could see that even from where she stood. "Are you feeling well, Makoto-san?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." The taller girl answered before grabbing her hand and pulled her towards the entrance leading to the backstage. "C'mon," she interjected before Ami could voice her disbelief at her claim, "We have to find our seats before the stadium gets too crowded."

"Alright," Ami answered and thought, 'We're going backstage?' Of course, the blue-haired girl had intended to go there in the first place since she always had free admittance to her best friend's concerts. But then she remembered that Makoto had mentioned that her friends were Minako's new back-up singers. So she let herself be led inside, holding on to the taller girl's hand tightly.

With the backstage entrance accessible to them, they had little difficulty in navigating themselves around the empty bleachers reserved specifically for special people like them (people who were special guests to this sort of thing that is). They found it in the western wing among the front row bleachers, in perfect view of the stage just meters ahead of them. They had the most comfortable place and the best view of the upcoming performance. The girls settled themselves comfortably for a short wait.

"I'm so excited," Ami announced happily. "It's been a while since I've been to these things with someone. Have you ever been to Minako-chan's concert before?"

Makoto suddenly found her thoughts wandering to what happened earlier. After Minako had tackled her to the ground and discovered the truth-- the blonde quietly rose to her feet, flipped her hair, and walked away. It was rather anti-climatic really... But the brunette was bothered by the look of ire and disappointment in the teen idol's eyes. "No," she answered Ami out loud. "It's my first time."

They both chatted for a while, and Makoto was able to forget about Minako. The concert hadn't even started but she was enjoying herself already. Ami was good company.

The bleachers in their wing slowly began to fill up. They were both amazed at the amount of people flowing inside the stadium. A minute before the appointed time when the concert was about to begin, Makoto felt someone slide into the bleachers beside her. "Excuse me; can you move a little please?"

"Sure." The brunette answered graciously and scooted over-- painfully aware of her right leg pressing snugly against Ami's. It distracted her for a moment, so she didn't hear the sharp intake of breath at first. But then her head snapped back to acknowledge the stranger beside her when the feminine voice yelled.

"It's YOU!"

Wide, green eyes met furious, narrowed lavender. Behind the fuming Rei, a puzzled Haruka looked over her shoulder to see what's holding the line up. "Is something wrong, Rei-dono?"

The dark-haired girl whirled around to face her and growled, "Let's find another seat." But the stadium lights suddenly went out, and the previously dark stage lit up brightly. The concert was about to begin! But to hell with it, Rei wanted out of here! Haruka, tried to dissuade her, logically saying that they possibly could not find another seat in this darkness, and even if she wanted to leave-- the combined dimness and the crowded paths would hinder their escape.

So without any options left, Rei sat down on the bleachers with a scowl, crossing her arms across her chest defensively. There was a noticeable, deliberate space between her and Makoto. "Don't even think about copping a feel in the dark..." She whispered to the other brunette with quiet hostility, without looking in her direction.

"As if." Makoto answered back stiffly, unintentionally mirroring the other girl's stance by crossing her own arms across her chest, and did not take her eyes away from the stage when she said the words.

Both Haruka and Ami glanced at the girls beside them before looking at each other, over the pair, in confusion.

* * *

Minako would never see a single yen from this charity event. But that did not stop her from giving it all she got. She sang, she danced, and she had fun. It almost made her forget about the unfortunate discovery that Kino Makoto was a pretender. Minako had felt betrayed then, now she felt angry. How dare that girl lie to her! Well... She didn't technically... But forget the semantics! Minako was the victim here!

She had to teach Makoto a lesson. No one made Aino Minako look like a fool and get away with it. But how?

She did not need to look further. When it was time for her ritualistic 'fan service' just before the concert ended-- she found the perfect method for revenge. She was going to humiliate that cross-dressing snake in front of a million people. It was perfect!

"Hey everybody!" She called out excitedly into the microphone, her voice ringing in the crowd's ears. "It's time to pick a lucky name on the list! Are you ready to be serenaded?" The fans roared their answer. "Great!" She turned to wave at Michiru, who had been waiting in the hidden sidelines, to come towards her. The aqua-haired woman walked into the stage, carrying a glass bowl full of folded papers-- her magnified image was captured on the video screen above them.

Among the crowd, Haruka and Rei's eyes widened in recognition.

A hush fell over the spectators as the blonde, super star dug into the bowl and took out a single paper. Minako glanced at the name which was Umino Gurio, but instead she called out-- "Kino Makoto!" There was a collective groan among the fans. Michiru and the Three Lights looked surprised behind her.

The older woman whispered furiously at Minako, "Who is that? That person is not in the list." But the blonde ignored her, and called out again.

"Kino Makoto-san? I know you're out there. Come up here on stage!"

For Makoto's part, she was stunned and dumbstruck. She had sat up eagerly the first time her name was called. The second time-- she was afraid, excited and suspicious at the same time. Ami was bouncing in her seat beside her and enthusiastically trying to get her to stand up.

"Makoto-san! Makoto-san! You should go up there!"

Rei and Haruka looked at the pair, though the dark-haired girl was pretending to be disinterested. The crowd around them, upon realizing that the lucky winner was right in front of them-- began chanting in encouragement. Makoto had no choice but to comply. She stood up and proceeded reluctantly towards the stage.

When she passed Michiru on the sideline, the aqua-haired beauty's eyes lit up in recognition. Then they widened in bewilderment when she saw that she was obviously female. 'Yeah, lady... I'm a girl alright. Old news...' Makoto tried not to roll her eyes at that.

She looked at the center of the stage where Minako was waiting. The blonde was smiling like a shark, and was beckoning her to come closer. Inhaling deeply, she approached the Star. Minako couldn't possibly try anything funny in front of all these people, could she? PR and all that, right? With that thought in mind, Makoto stepped into the stage. She hesitated when the crowd cheered at the sight of her, stopping in her tracks to take in the numbers of people that were watching her. She swallowed hard, suddenly feeling dizzy and nauseated. The blood drained away from her face. What a fine time it was to discover that she had stage-fright...

Upon seeing how pale their friend had suddenly become, the Three Lights hurried out of their places to surround her.

"We've got your back." Seiya assured her. Taiki held her arm to keep her from swaying. Yaten nodded in agreement to her sister's words, before flashing a glare in Minako's direction. She did not believe that all of this wasn't deliberately set up. They led Makoto to where Minako was waiting for her. A roadie had scurried from the other side to put a chair in front of the blonde earlier-- the back of the chair faced the crowd. The tall brunette was made to sit down on it.

"I'll take it from here." Minako smiled sweetly at the Three Lights, a not so subtle hint that they go back to their place. Reluctantly, they do so. She looked down at Makoto for a moment, smirked, then addressed the crowd once more. "For my next song, I will be singing 'Want Me, Want Me.'"

The fans roared and cheered their approval.

The music began. The catchy and fast-paced RnB beat electrified everyone in the stadium, making the audience lean forward eagerly. The song was Minako's latest hit, and it was also one of her sexiest songs. Every hormone-induced male in the audience could feel their nose start to bleed at the implication of this number. The blonde swung her hips suggestively and raised the microphone to her lips to sing the chorus.

_"Want me, want me split it open and fly_

_You're too impatient with my button_

_Wait a minute, wait a minute_

_I calmly give you help in every way_

_We don't know how to handle it like a virgin_

_But, don't forget the Trojan_

_I am oochie, la-la poppin' coochie_

_Want me uncontrollably, baby"_

The camera zoomed in on her. And everyone was treated to the sight of Minako running a finger between her heaving breasts and toyed with the top button of her tight, white shirt. Then she leaned forward to sultry sing the last few lines of the stanza in Makoto's reddening face.

_"Oh boy, you are sooooo hot_

_It's been a long time since I've had this feeling_

_Although it's already repeating over and over_

_Ah... Hey gimme one mo' stroke_

_Ah! Ah! I can do you_

_Yeah, yeah you can do me"_

Minako practically moaned the "Ah's" which caused Makoto to grab the armrests of her chair desperately. The brunette wanted to close her eyes, but she didn't. The seductive sight of Minako swaying and singing for her was too impossible to look away from. In fact, if Makoto admitted it to herself, she didn't want to.

_"Anything you want me to do_

_I can do you, I can do you_

_From A to Z, from back to front, everywhere, even 'there'_

_Baby, let me taste it, taste it_

_A conversation without words_

_Up and down, in and out_

_Bounce wit me like this"_

In this part, Minako straddled Makoto's legs and pretended to hump against her-- especially along the "up and down" part of the lyrics. Their breasts were pressed against each other, and Minako's pubic bone rubbed along the taller girl's long legs in the process. She had to hike up her skirt in this position (but she was still safely covered since the brunette's frame shielded her from view), and the only thing that lay between their heated flesh were her panties and Makoto's jeans. The thin layer of the blonde's underwear did not lessen the friction any.

Makoto still stared up at her intensely, unblinking. Minako was beginning to feel hot and dizzy. She carefully untangled herself from the other girl to sing the chorus once more. Her voice was a little shaky at first, but regained its strength in the end. Then she proceeded to the next stanza,

_"Oh boy, I'm flying too much _

_Why don't we tryna go nice and slow _

_One, two, three, four, take a breath, look at my eyes _

_Slow down until I get used to the stimulation_

_"Oooooh..._

_From A to Z, from back to front, everywhere, even 'there'_

_Baby, let me taste it, taste it_

_A conversation without words_

_Up and down, in and out_

_Bounce wit me like this"_

Minako did not know why she did it, but she reached out to tenderly run a hand across the other girl's cheek and brought her face close to hers once again-- almost kissing but not quite. Their lips simply brushed with each word the shorter girl crooned. She could feel Makoto tremble against her, and saw how wide her eyes had become. There was not only fear in the green orbs, but anticipation as well. Minako was sure there was a similar expression in hers. The blonde had the powerful urge to submit herself to Makoto's mercy. She wanted her like a man would-- in the dirtiest, most primal sense.

'Oh my god...' She thought in morbid fascination. 'I'm turned on by a GIRL!'

* * *

After the concert, everyone gathered at the stadium's expansive executive office to celebrate. There was a long table in the center filled with all kinds of delicious food. The walls were decorated with party favors and balloons, and a colorful banner with the words "Omedeto!" written on it was hung against the white board.

On one side of the room, Michiru was lecturing Minako about her reckless, impromptu publicity stunt and how the press was going to have a field day with her little "girl-on-girl" ending act. On the other side, Ami, Makoto and the Three Lights were huddled together-- gushing in interest and disbelief regarding the incredible and sexy finale. They were the only ones who were there. Everyone else was busy cleaning up, Aino Minako's crew in particular, and had no time to celebrate like the others. When they passed by the open doorway they offered congratulations without missing a beat.

Minako and Makoto would not look at each other. Both of them were too embarrassed.

Rei and Haruka appeared a few minutes later to personally congratulate the pop star. "Aino-san?" The dark-haired girl queried as she paused in front of the blonde. Minako turned around to look her, and Rei smiled at the other girl politely. "Good evening. My name is Hino Rei and this," she gestured to Haruka who winked at Minako, "is Ten'ou Haruka. We represent the Hino foundation. And on behalf of my father and the rest of the sick children in the hospital-- we'd like to thank you."

"We were glad to help, Hino-san." Both Rei and Haruka looked behind a rather unsurprised Minako and at Michiru in astonishment. The aqua-haired woman simply smiled at them, and bowed once in Rei's direction. "I'm Kaioh Michiru, Minako-chan's manager."

Minako giggled beside her, already knowing why the three of them recognized one another. She finally looked across the room towards the others. Her eyes lingered on Makoto's back; before they shifted down to see Ami looking back at her with an unreadable expression face. Minako blushed and looked away.

So Makoto WAS Ami's Makoto. This was such a freaky coincidence. Her best friend knew Makoto? And... Makoto was a girl! And... SHE had the HOTS for a girl? The teen idol still had trouble wrapping her mind around that. She shook her head and refocused her attention on Rei instead, putting on a charming smile for the other girl. "So what did you think of the show, Hino-san?"

"It was wonderful, Aino-san. I've really enjoyed it." Rei answered, the lingering effects of her excitement from the concert was still apparent in her tone. "Well... except for the last part."

"Why's that?" Minako frowned.

"Not that I'm being homophobic or anything..." The dark-haired girl glanced in Haruka's direction to show that she was not trying to offend the mannish blonde. "But I could not believe you would allow THAT pervert near you!" She said it loud enough for everyone to hear. The others turned to gape at her with the exception of Makoto, who tried to make herself look smaller.

"Excuse me?" The teen idol began slowly. "What do you mean by 'pervert?' Do you... do you know Kino-san?"

"No." Rei growled and glared at the tall girl's direction. If her arm wasn't in a cast, she would've started cracking her knuckles by now. "But I bet she got to know me QUITE personally that night."

Makoto simply could not let the other girl continue to trample on her dignity and unjustifiably sully her good name. "Hey! That was an accident!" She shot back.

"You kissed me and grabbed my boob! That was NO accident, buster!"

Haruka and Michiru's eyes widened simultaneously.

"You dawg!" Seiya cackled and proudly socked Makoto on the arm.

"SEIYA!" Yaten and Taiki yelled at her.

"Makoto-san?" Ami looked distraught.

"WHAT!" Minako shrieked.

"It was an accident!" The brunette repeated desperately. "You're such a liar, you lying witch!"

Suddenly there was a sound of clapping. And everyone looked towards the doorway to see a pair of kids leaning against the frame. They were dressed so strangely-- like they were a duo of twin jesters. The one who was clapping was the sneering black-haired one. "Bravo! Bravo! Everyone's finally here, and yet-- everyone hates each other already!"

"Who the hell are you!" Rei yelled at them, angry at being interrupted and mocked by these brats.

"You..." Ami backed away slightly. There was something eerily familiar about these twins, something familiarly sinister... "I-I've seen you before."

"Yeah..." Makoto murmured beside her, and instinctively felt her hackles rise. There was a threat in the room, and the likely culprits were the seemingly harmless little girls. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The twins giggled and moved further into the room. "You sure you want to know?" Deedee taunted, just as Dumdum closed the door behind her with an audible click

* * *

+Author's Note+

It's about damned time! Don't you think:P Haha! I had fun with this chapter.

References to places such as Chichibunomiya rugby stadium and Aoyama is true.

"Want Me, Want Me" belongs to Namie Amuro. It's very good. XD But what can you expect from the Japanese queen of RnB, ne? If y'all wanted the mp3 for this little number, you know where to email me. ;)

Omedeto translates to congratulations.


	10. Haiku 9: Eye Opener

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_A revelation.  
Can be a double-edged sword,  
A deadly white rose..._

* * *

**Haiku 9: Eye Opener**

After the door was shut, the room inexplicably grew colder. Minako shuddered and hugged herself protectively. She watched, in great incredulity, as the shadows behind the little girls grew wider. She watched the dimness spread all over the room until everyone within was enveloped by a thick black endless space. What was odd though, was that the furniture remained untouched by the shadows. The twins jerked their hands to their sides, and several slender throwing steel knives appeared in their grasps. There was a manic gleam in Deedee's crimson eyes, and indifferent happiness in Dumdum's.

"Wha-what are you going to do with those?" Minako stuttered, trying to move away. One would've thought that the infinite blackness would've been as far as the eye could see. But it wasn't-- and she felt herself backed up against some sort of invisible wall. "This is a joke, right? Kaioh-san hired you clowns to play a trick on us? Right, Kaioh-san?" She turned to look at a terrified Michiru who furiously shook her head 'no' at her.

"Oh? You want to hear a joke?" Dumdum grinned and twirled her knives between her fingers and into the air skillfully. "What's a Senshi about to be skewered? A Senshish kebab!" This sent the white-haired girl into a hysterical giggling fit.

Deedee groaned. "That was stupid, Dumdum-onee-chan."

"It was? I thought it was funny, Deedee-onee-chan."

"You're here to kill us?" Haruka interrupted, strangely calm and confident. This sort of thing was what she was trained for after all. She was not only a political aide; she was also a professional bodyguard. She stood in front of Michiru and Rei protectively-- ready to shield them if any of those knives were flung in their direction. She held her hands up in a pacifying gesture. "Think about it... If we scream, the guards will come in. You'll get caught and go to prison. You kids don't want to go to prison at such a young age, do you?"

"Haruka-san..." Michiru look at the tall blonde hopefully. It was as if Haruka's words had given them all a spark of courage-- reminding them that even if they were children with knives, they were just children. They were bigger and smarter than they are-- and they clearly outnumbered them. Seiya and Makoto nodded to each other, and tensed-- ready to jump on them and grab their weapons away when the opportunity came.

"Time stopped outside this room. No one will notice anything." Deedee revealed with a smirk, and then her face darkened as she tightened her grip on her knives. "Enough talk... It's time to die, senshis!"

"NOW!" Seiya yelled, and lunged for Deedee while Makoto went for Dumdum. But they had all been thoughtlessly wrong to have underestimated the twins. As if expecting the sudden attack, Deedee fell backwards and slammed her hands flat against the floor for leverage. Seiya was surprised when her arms went around nothing; her prey had suddenly disappeared in front of her. Then she felt the little girl's feet planting themselves onto her abdomen.

Dumdum grabbed Makoto's outstretched arm and used her momentum against her. She allowed the other girl to move forward, and while keeping a tight grip on her wrist, she rolled against her body until she was behind her. It was like a dance step in waltz-- she had just twirled the brunette around. Then, Dumdum recoiled and flung the tall girl back to where she came from like she weighed nothing.

Both Seiya and Makoto were catapulted into the air-- with the black-haired tomboy narrowly missing the edge of the table while the brunette flew over it. Then they crashed against the black wall, both women releasing grunts, before they slid to the ground coughing from having the wind knocked out of them.

"Makoto!" Without thought of her own safety, Ami ran to the brunette's side. Yaten and Taiki also ran towards their downed sister to check if she was okay.

Rei was looking around frantically for anything that looked like a weapon. But the dark prison they seem to be in indicated nothing else but nothingness. She felt helpless. Then she jumped when Haruka suddenly rushed forward. She watched the tall blonde engage the twins in powerful successions of fierce, hurtling fists and controlled kicks-- all straightforward but devastating attacks.

Haruka was a formidable foe, but she was only one person. And the twins were quick and acrobatic-- evading all of the deadly strikes, but clearly having a hard time laying an attack of their own. Deedee and Dumdum exchanged quick glances before they hurled several of their knives away. Haruka's green eyes widened. She was not the weapons' intended target however. "Move out of the way!" She screamed at Makoto, Ami, and the three sisters.

This was all the distraction, the twins needed. They moved in a synchronized motion, delivering a roundhouse kick right in Haruka's unprotected chest. She flew several feet back, and then fell to her knees gagging and choking. Her vision was darkening, but she resisted the urge to pass out. 'Focus, Haruka! Breath slowly!'

Meanwhile, the rest watched powerlessly as the deadly blades sped towards them. But at Taiki's quick-thinking, she lurched forward to topple the table on its side causing the food to fly everywhere. She barely missed some of the knives but the table managed to block the lower projectiles. Everyone behind her was safe for now. "Quick!" She called over to Minako, Rei and Michiru. "Hide over here!"

"Oh no you don't!" Deedee snarled, jerking her arms again-- more knives appeared in her hands. She ran towards them but when she passed Haruka, the blonde instantly grabbed her waist. Deedee fell face-first to the ground, and the older woman lay heavily on top of her while pinning her hands on each side of her head. "FUCK!" Deedee screamed, her eyes wild with rage. "Onee-chan! GET THEM!"

"Yes, onee-chan!" Dumdum ran for her targets, just as they dove for the table. She licked her lips and was about to throw her knives to stop them when she felt something hit her head. The white-haired girl stopped short to watch an orange fruit roll to her feet. Then she tilted her head towards the table where Yaten was standing beside Taiki and Seiya, their arms laden with food, dishware, and other utensils. "That was not nice." She pouted at them and threw her weapons at them.

They immediately crouched for cover. Yaten jerked away from the table she was leaning against when one knife practically was plunged halfway through the thick wooden surface just centimeters away from her head. "We can't go on like this." She told the others somberly. "We're going to get killed!"

Ami frowned and suddenly moved away from Makoto, she made sure she was still hidden from view from the twins, before she started to feel along the invisible wall behind her with her hands.

"What are you doing, Ami-chan?" Minako asked her. She and Michiru were clutching each other's hands for support and were both looking at her curiously.

"I have a theory..." The blue-haired girl answered thoughtfully. "That this is all just an illusion." Then she felt it. With a grim smile she tugged hard, and a banner seemingly materialized out of the darkness. It fell over her lap. The words 'Omedeto' were clear for all to see.

"Ami-chan!" Minako launched herself towards her best friend and hugged her furiously. "You're a lifesaver!"

"We should find the door and escape." Rei whispered to the rest. Then she craned her head slightly to peek over the table when Dumdum ceased her assault and was now walking over to where Haruka was holding her darker sister down. "Oh no... Haruka-san..."

But her guardian had secretly recovered in that short time since she pinned Deedee to the ground. When she felt Dumdum approach, she pushed her body up and swept her feet over the white-haired girl's legs-- causing the shocked little girl to fall back to the ground. Haruka staggered to her feet, and held her fists up in front of her defensively. She was a little winded and in pain but she was apparently ready for action. "Your fight is with ME, bastards..."

'Haruka-san...' Rei thought and bit her lower lip. The mannish woman was very capable of defending them, but she knew that she could not hold out much longer.

"We'll distract them," Makoto suddenly said, breaking the dark-haired girl's worried thoughts, as she crawled over to where the cross-dressing siblings were. She grabbed one of the apples in Yaten's arms and tightened her grip on it determinedly. "You guys run for the door, then call for help. We'll stay behind to support Haruka-san."

"No Mako-chan." Taiki shook her head and laid a firm hand over the other girl's arm. "You need to go with the others and protect them. WE'LL stay behind."

"Yeah, we'll take over from here. You watch their backs, Mako-chan." Seiya grinned cockily and gave her friend a thumb's up. "You've got to protect your girlfriends with your life."

"I'm not--!" Both Rei and Minako cried out at the same time, while Ami looked down and blushed. Makoto sighed. 'They'll never let me live this down, will they?' She thought sourly, but nodded in agreement all the same.

"I'll go first." Michiru spoke up, her tone indicating that she would not be swayed if they would try to discourage her. "I remember where the door is supposed to be. Then you guys follow me after I find it."

"Becareful, Kaioh-san." Minako told her and received a reassuring nod in return.

"On three then." Makoto said. The others tensed. "One... Two... Three!" The brunette shot up and threw the apple in the twins' direction. Taking her cue-- Seiya, Yaten and Taiki also began flinging everything they had at psychotic children.

"QUIT IT!" Deedee yelled angrily. And Dumdum tried to cover her head with her arms, yelping.

Michiru ran for the hidden door. She reached out to grab the spot where the knob was supposed to be. But she couldn't be wrong... her intuition was screaming at her that it was definitely right there. Then she twisted her hand and pushed the door open. The light poured into the dimness. "Come on everyone!" She called over her shoulder and ran outside-- the others hurriedly rose from their little sanctuary to follow suit.

The twins moved to go after them, but Haruka hurriedly barred their way. The tall blonde was smirking. "You're not going anywhere. You failed!"

"On the contrary..." The rage easily fell away from Deedee's face to reveal the triumphant smile underneath. "It's all going as planned." Dumdum raised her right arm, parallel to the ground, and snapped her fingers. The shadows twitched in response. Then several bulbous shapes pushed themselves forward, the blackness clung against them like wet cloth. The room reverted back to normal. Several dark, hunching, humanoid figures stood in sporadic locations. Everyone, except the twins, gasped in horror.

"You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?" Dumdum giggled.

* * *

Stopping time was impossible, and Michiru had thought that the twins were lying when they said that it had. But as she and the others ran down the corridor-- the people they passed by all seemed to be frozen on the spot. There was no way they could ask any of these people for help. Their only recourse was to get out of this stadium and hope that time was not affected outside.

The air was not immune to time's dormancy and breathing in this thin atmosphere was hard. Everyone, except Michiru and Ami who were actually trained swimmers and could regulate their breathing easily, was feeling very light-headed and faint.

Minako stumbled then clumsily collapsed to the ground. "I-I can't do it." She rasped; she was having a difficult time trying to suck in some air into her oxygen-deprived lungs. Then Makoto stopped in front of her, and knelt on one knee.

"Climb up," The brunette smiled at her reassuringly. Blushing slightly, Minako mounted Makoto's back-- painfully aware of their closeness despite the dangerous situation they were in-- and wrapped her arms around her neck. The taller girl unhesitantly placed her hands underneath the blonde's bare legs, to support her weight, before she rose to her feet and ran to catch up with the others.

Michiru knew that the last left turn in the intersection ahead would lead them to the exit. When she ran around the bend, she stopped abruptly and shrieked. The others barely kept themselves from colliding against each other. In front of them, standing between themselves and their path to freedom, was a large shadow youma. It took a threatening step towards them. Knowing they had no other options left, they ran in the opposite direction.

"This will take us to the field!" Rei shouted upon recognizing the route they were running to. They will be sitting ducks out there if the enemy was trying to look for them.

"We have no choice." Michiru panted. "We'll just exit through the other gates."

Ami couldn't help it, but she felt that they were all being led into some sort of trap. But she wisely kept that thought to herself. There was no sense in panicking the others just yet. "Is there no other way, Kaioh-san?"

"No."

Makoto glanced behind her to see the youma slowly catching up to her. "You better run faster, you guys! It's catching up to us!" Driven by fear and the desire to live, everyone ran faster-- their lungs and legs burned with effort. Minako was no light-weight, and she worried over the fact that Makoto looked ready to fall in exhaustion. Thankfully she saw the open gate leading to the field appear a few meters ahead.

Michiru burst through, followed by Rei. They both stood on each side of the entryway and held their side of the metallic, sliding gate. Ami ran out next, then turned to watch Makoto struggle on with her best friend on her back. The youma was closing in on the girls, and when it lashed an arm out-- its alien-like fingers brushed through Minako's blonde hair. There was sheer terror on the teen idol's pale face when it grazed her.

"You can do it, Makoto!" Ami yelled forcefully. "Run faster!" She threw her arms wide open, ready to catch her if... no, WHEN she made it through.

Then Makoto burst into the field, and Michiru and Rei desperately pushed the gates closed. The youma crashed into the metal barrier with a resounding clang. Michiru hurriedly bolted the gate to ensure that the youma would not be able to open it from the inside.

Makoto stumbled forward, her legs feeling rubbery and weak, then she collided heavily against Ami who immediately wrapped her arms around her to keep her steady. When they came into a stop, Minako slid off of her savior and planted her feet gratefully to the ground. Trembling, she pressed her face against the brunette's back and cried.

That had been too close. Way too close...

"It's alright now, Mina-chan." Ami soothed over Makoto's shoulder, who was desperately panting for breath, then freed one hand to pat her best friend's bent head in comfort. "We're safe now."

"No we're not." Rei hated to burst their bubble, but it was imperative that they escape this place ASAP. "We're still in the stadium, and there might be more of those things in here somewhere. We need to move. NOW."

Everyone quietly nodded in agreement. Feeling a little concerned for the teary Minako, Makoto decided to stay close to her side. Ami did the same on the opposite side of the blonde. As they began to hurriedly trek across the field to reach the other side towards another gate, the stadium lights were suddenly switched off and bathed their surroundings in total darkness.

Then the large video screen came to life. The twins' menacing and grinning faces filled the display. "This is the end of the line for you, stupid senshis..." Deedee's childish, gleeful voice echoed into the air.

The implication of the children being here brought a sick feeling to Rei's stomach. "Where is Haruka-san!" Makoto frowned, echoing the dark-haired girl's fears, and began to worry for her friends' safety.

"She's fine." Dumdum told them, earning a hard slap on the face by her sister.

"As fine as they can be... without their souls." Deedee added ominously.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO THEM!" Makoto roared and started forward but Ami and Minako held her back by her arms. They did not like the way the darkness seemed to shift and wriggle as if it were alive.

"The same thing our pets will do to you." The black-haired little girl laughed, delighted by the brunette's anger. The lights blinked on once more, and nearly blinded the rest of the girls by the suddenness of it. When their visions cleared, they could see that they were utterly surrounded by hundreds of shadow youmas. Then Deedee addressed the monsters, "CRUSH THEM!"

The youmas released a shrill shriek and started towards their targets, only to have the closest ones be blown away to bits by an arched bright energy beam and took down three or four of the monsters behind them. All heads swiveled up towards a slender silhouette that was crouching on the head of one of the nearby lamp posts. Cheshire wriggled her fingers at her shocked audience in greeting. "Howdy."

"Cheshire!" Dumdum exclaimed. "What-- why are you doing this?"

"Traitor!" Deedee yelled. "I knew it!"

"Oh no, little Maestros." Cheshire protested lightly. "You have to remember... I was created to keep the balance of the game." She pointed a finger at the youmas and started counting, then gave up on the fifth one. "Oh my... You have too many soldiers on the field. Tsk, tsk, tsk... Wasting valuable resources again, I see."

"Who is that?" Michiru whispered over to Rei, who was glaring up at the newcomer hatefully.

"I don't know, but I don't like the way this is turning out."

"There is only one thing left to do, I believe, or it's game over too soon." The cat-woman continued on thoughtfully and put a thumb on one of the six red stripes on her mask-- the one on her right cheek. The children's eyes widened before they started screaming at her to stop. But Cheshire was not listening. "Time to fly out of your cage, little canary..." Then she wiped the stripe away like she was cleaning off wet blood from the smooth porcelain surface.

Minako stiffened beside Makoto. Her forehead felt like it was burning which began to spread like tendrils all over her body. She shuddered, hugged herself tightly, and fell to her knees. In her mind's eye, she saw images-- images she could not understand but recognized. She was seeing herself yet she did not know who it was that she was seeing.

A masked woman in a strange sailor uniform striking a V-sign with her right hand.

A normal school girl giggling over something at what the blonde pig-tailed haired girl said beside her.

A princess in flowing, Grecian-like, white gown kissing the knuckles of her queen in reverence.

It was too much. All too much. Minako felt like her head was going to explode if she couldn't stop the images from coming. She clutched the sides of her head tightly, and squeezed her eyes shut. 'It hurts...'

"Aino-san!" Makoto cried out and bent to grab her shoulders. "Get a hold of yourself!"

"Mina-chan?" Ami gasped when she saw that her best friend's hunched figure began to glow a dazzling, yellow light. Then Minako threw her head back to reveal the sign of Venus burning brightly on her forehead. Then the blonde screamed a spine-chilling scream which even caused the youmas to recoil. But some of them recovered quickly, and launched themselves over to the helpless group with a piercing cry. Acting quickly, Cheshire slashed her kodachis in curvaceous motion and released another arched energy beam at the attacking beasts.

Makoto had been about to meet the lunging youmas halfway when they exploded in front of her. "SHIT!" She exclaimed in shock before she glowered over at Cheshire. "Next time you do that, warn me!" Their unlikely savior simply cocked her head at her.

"Mina-chan!" Ami was kneeling beside her best friend now and was taking the screaming girl into her arms. "What's wrong? Please calm down!"

"Is she alright?" Michiru ran to their side and looked down at them with a worried frown.

"I don't know! But her body feels hot." The blue-haired girl was close to tears. She did not like to see Minako in pain, but she did not know what to do. She felt useless.

"Heads up, everyone!" Makoto warned them. "Those things are going to attack!" She punched one of the approaching youmas where its face was supposed to be, and watched fly back. But a few seconds later, it staggered to its feet like the blow did not even affect it.

Cheshire leapt off the lamp post and landed a few meters away from the girls. She was still for a moment as she inwardly sought her center of balance before she moved in a whirlwind of motion, not giving the surrounding youmas any chance to attack. She hacked and slashed her way through the inhuman bodies towards the other girls. Seeing that the mysterious newcomer was a bigger threat to them than their other quarry, most of the youmas focused their energies in trying to subdue Cheshire.

"What is she doing! What is she doing!" Dumdum fidgeted with her long sleeves frantically. "Stop!"

"Fuck! Let's go, onee-chan, before she ruins everything!" Deedee snarled, before the twins ran out of the camera's perspective. The screen was left showing nothing but a bare, bright green wall.

Michiru screamed and stumbled back when a youma reached out for her. Then it stiffened, before it crumpled to the ground to reveal a kodachi imbedded firmly onto its back. Cheshire pulled her weapon out of, causing its dark blood to noisily squirt out of the wound and begin to pool around its body. Michiru winced in disgust. Suddenly, the masked woman leaned forward to peer closely into her face.

"Don't be frightened, beautiful." Cheshire purred flirtatiously. "I won't let these beasts lay a hand on you." Michiru blushed. Then the cat woman jerked backwards just as a dark leg swiped past into the air where her head was supposed to be. She plunged her kodachis onto the ground for stability before she lifted her legs and wrapped them around her attacker's neck. She twisted, and brutally brought the youma down to the ground. The last thing the youma saw was the cat-mask's wickedly grinning features before its head was decapitated from its body.

Even with the combined efforts of Makoto and Cheshire, the youmas still continued to inch closer and closer towards the huddled group.

Just then, Deedee and Dumdum emerged from the stage and leapt down to the ground. With Minako in their sights, they dashed towards their target-- their knives gleaming maliciously between their fingers. They could not waste another second. They had to kill the blonde before she could awaken. They sprang impossibly high into the air and threw all they had of their hidden blades at their defenseless preys-- not caring if they killed their own comrades in the crossfire.

Even with the mask on, it was clear that Cheshire's face was full of alarm. Even she could not stop this rain of steel nor escape with the youmas enclosing them from all sides. "Venus!" She called out desperately. Only a senshi's power could save them now. "Wake up Sailor Venus!"

* * *

Minako stood in naked in the middle of the room full of pictures. As a celebrity, she savored these kinds of things-- people watching her, people worshiping the image of her, her image being objectified by television screens and photographs... But she was not the object of these pictures. They were pictures of the people she envied... Of a smiling Ami clutching on to a bewildered Makoto's arm, of a laughing Michiru playing with her daughter and her happy husband holding her steady on the shoulder behind her, of her parents bringing their wine glasses together in a celebratory gesture with the image of England's glimmering city lights in the back ground, and of other everyday people happily living their lives...

With an enraged cry, she tore the pictures down. It wasn't fair! It wasn't fair that they were all happy and she was not! She had EVERYTHING! But why did she feel like an outsider in this happy world! She collapsed to her knees and buried her face in her hands. She sobbed long and hard-- letting all the anguish finally break free from the cage she had kept locked inside her for so long.

'I will always be alone...' She thought.

Then she felt someone lay a hand on top of her head. And she looked up tearfully to see a blonde, pigtailed-haired girl smiling beautifully down at her. Even though she was simply dressed in the same school uniform she often saw her best friend wear, there was something phantom-like and angelic about this other girl. "It's alright, Mina-chan... You're never alone."

"Who..." Minako began hoarsely. "Who are you?" The shining ghostly image did not answer but knelt in front of the other blonde and pulled her into a comforting embrace. Minako stiffened at first before she relaxed into her arms. 'She's so warm...' She thought, feeling very peaceful and loved in this strange apparition's presence.

"It's time to help your friends, Sailor Venus." She heard the other whisper into her ear before she felt her pull back to press her lips against her forehead. Minako's amazed blue eyes followed the image as she stood up, unaware of the sign that was glowing radiantly on her own forehead. The other girl smiled and offered a peculiar-looking pen in front of Minako. Her mouth moved but no sound came out. But Minako knew what this phantom was trying to say, and wanted her to repeat it somehow.

"Venus!" Someone cried out from an unseen place, and the voice reverberated inside the room like an unwelcome intruder. But the blonde ignored it; her eyes were glued on to the object in front of her. Her heart was pounding so hard, she could practically hear it throbbing against her ears. "Wake up Sailor Venus!"

Then she grabbed the wand, and the room was enveloped in white light.

* * *

When Makoto saw the volley of knives about to impale them she instinctively ducked and covered her head. The rest, except Cheshire and the youmas, did the same. Ami buried her face into Minako's hair and prayed that some of them would at least come out of this alive somehow. But then, she felt the body underneath her tremble before she was forced to let go of Minako when the blonde shot to her feet and held a wand up over her head.

"Mina-chan! What are you---!" But Ami was not given the opportunity to finish her sentence because when the blonde recited the following words, everything went still.

"Venus Power... MAKE UP!"

Ami, blinded by the light that suddenly emanated from her best friend's form, winced away and covered her eyes. Distantly, she could hear the youmas screech as if it pained them. When the light faded and the blue-haired girl could finally look at Minako, she gasped at what she saw.

In her best friend's place stood someone else-- dressed in an orange and white sailor fuku with a dark blue bow. Ami knew, logically, that the person who stood in front of her was Minako. But no matter how much she tried to search this person's face for any signs of familiarity-- she could see none. It boggled her mind.

"Venus!" Cheshire yelled again, which snapped Sailor Venus out of her trance. The blonde had no time to wonder what had happened though, because when the cat-woman pointed at the knives that were about to impel them to death-- she panicked. "Quick! Point your finger up and focus your energy on it. Then yell 'Crescent Beam Shower!'"

Sailor Venus did not hesitate and pointed her finger up at the twins, like she was about to shoot them with a make-believe gun, and concentrated. Beads of sweat started to form at her temple as she felt her energy being drained from inside her to gather at the tip of her finger. In that millisecond, she could feel the power start to build. In that millisecond, it felt like an eternity. The power burned inside her, but she was not sure how to release it. Then she remembered what Cheshire told her. "Crescent Beam Shower!" It was like a key had twisted the lock inside her, and she felt herself let go.

A golden ray burst out from her finger which multiplied in mid air which disintegrated almost all of the knives in their path. When the twins saw what was happening, they tried to scramble away. But that was a hard thing to do, considering the fact that they were airborne after all. The beams hit them like a barrage of white-hot lasers.

Sailor Venus did not need to look up to see the twins drop to the ground, and even if she had to she could not, because she was too drained to try. She felt what was left of her unearthly power ebb away and her sailor fuku faded back to her normal clothes. She was about to fall bodily to the ground when she felt someone catch her, and carefully eased her onto the bed of grass. At first she thought it was Ami, but when she looked up she saw Makoto's awe-filled green eyes looking down at her.

"You did great, Minako-san." Makoto whispered in a humbled and grateful tone. "You saved us."

"Makoto-san..." The blonde murmured tiredly, feeling the warmth of the other girl's sincere words envelop her like a comforting blanket. She closed her eyes and drifted off into blissful unconsciousness.

"Took her long enough..." Cheshire clucked her tongue which earned her a withering glare from Rei.

"What did you do to her!" The dark-haired girl yelled, and rose to storm over towards the masked woman. But the remaining, excitable youmas started for Rei as soon as she did so. Without the twins commanding them, Cheshire was the obvious authority figure, and she waved a hand at the monsters to halt them.

"That's the wrong question. But since it is an important one, I shall consider it." She paused and gestured over at Minako. "I simply returned her memories... And showed her a glimpse of what her 'alternatives' were like."

"Shut up you traitor!" The rest of the girls whirled around in surprise towards the site where the twins had landed. Smoke was rising out of their semi-burnt bodies, but they were apparently alive. Deedee was struggling to get up, but it was obvious that the action was causing her a lot of pain. "I don't care what you say, you're a traitor! The queen will have your head for this!"

"I was simply doing as I was told." Cheshire cocked her head forward almost apologetically. "From this point on, the real game begins."

"What game? What are you talking about!" Makoto snarled. She had a feeling that this woman was toying with them somehow-- pulling their strings like a puppet, and she hated this feeling of subtle manipulation. Distrust and anger colored her eyes dark. "Why are you doing this to us!"

"Live and fight another day, senshis. Follow the clues set before you if you desire the answer." Cheshire ran a loving hand down her mask as she said this before walking around the girls and moved towards the twins. The children flinched when they saw her approach, and cowered as she stood before them. It was one thing to mouth off on Cheshire from afar, but it was another thing when they could not get away... With the masked woman's back turned on the rest of the girls, they did not see her eyes become cold and hard as she gazed down at Deedee and Dumdum. "You nearly killed me, little Maestros... But you have your purpose, like I have mine... So we'll consider this a draw."

Taking their silent cues, the youmas began to sink to the ground in a black puddle which also started to evaporate into the air in a series of black smoke. Cheshire waved a hand over towards the huddled group, and the smoke began to rapidly move around them trapping them within a wide tornado. Everyone tried to protect their eyes from the smoke. Then as quickly as it happened the smoke quickly died away-- and where the Maestros used to be were not there anymore.

* * *

+Author's Note+

If you're wondering what martial art Haruka was using, it's Shotokan.

Yeah... Sorry for the delay. I have summer classes now. So from now on, I will be updating this fic every weekend instead of every two or three days. I hope y'all would understand. (bows) But I have a treat for you guys!

Here's a little something I made just add the http thingy before each of these links (this document stuff in FF dot netis screwing up my texts... UGH):

1024x768

img151.imageshack.us/img151/8946/loveisdestructive19zl.jpg

800x600

img107.imageshack.us/img107/4489/loveisdestructive23qb.jpg

And you must be wondering what the Maestros and the queen really looked like so here:

img177.imageshack.us/img177/1536/guesswho9zb.jpg

The colored version will come in the next chapter. Until then, these are gifts to you guys for being such loyal readers and awesome friends!


	11. Haiku 10: Fragments of Defeat

* * *

**FATE AND FRAILTY**

_What is left of me?  
Broken pieces on the ground.  
Tiny, littered shards..._

* * *

**Haiku 10: Fragments of Defeat**

Katsuhiko was exhausted. Who knew that an hour's concert could take so much out of him? His back and shoulders were stiff from sitting in the sound booth throughout most of the gig. The added stress of making sure that the musical scores and the sound effects were carried out perfectly did not help his stamina any. The song director was ready to join the rest of the crew at the little party they had set up at the executive office. A couple of beers and some good female company ought to loosen him up.

He was whistling a happy tune as he walked down the corridor. When he reached the office, the music died from his lips. He stood in front of the closed door and stared at the black, plastic surface for a long, long time. Something was wrong... Darkness practically reeked through the edges of the barred entrance. He did not know how he sensed it or why he could, but the sinister aura was strong enough for normal people like him to feel it.

He reached out for the doorknob. His fingers shook as he closed them around the smooth and cold metallic handle. Then he twisted it and jerked the door open. The moment his eyes took in the sight of lifeless bodies spread around the room, he scrambled backwards in terror. "Holy mother of--!"

* * *

After the smoke cleared, the field was finally empty save for four very stunned women and one very unconscious teen idol. Rei could still not believe what just happened had happened. Yet, the reality of the situation was clear and real no matter how bizarre it was. Now the question was what was she going to do about it? Looking at the comatose Minako, she only wished she could afford THAT alternative instead of wondering whether she was starting to go insane or not.

She was brought out of her unsettled musings when Ami propelled herself across the field towards her fallen best friend. "Mina-chan!" The blue-haired girl cried out tearfully.

"She's alright, Ami-san." Makoto assured her from her position beside the blonde's head. "She's just out of it." Ami nodded, and carefully hovered over Minako to check her body for any injuries. The brunette rose and began to pace around restlessly. Like Rei, she had trouble taking in what had just happened to them. But unlike her calmer counterpart, the events only served to agitate her. If there was one thing Makoto hated, it was being thrust into a situation that she had no control over.

"Please calm down, Kino-san." Michiru suddenly spoke up, her tone gentle yet stern. "We're safe at the moment. But we need to find some help."

"You're right, Kaioh-san" Rei agreed and cast a troubled glance at Minako once more. "We need to get Aino-san to the hospital first though. Then we should contact the police. I think with those things gone, Time should go back to normal."

"Actually," Ami interjected quietly, "I think it already is. Can you feel the air moving?"

Michiru was relieved to hear the newfound news. It was a sure-fire bet that those strange and deadly people were not here now, or waiting around to ambush them. Hopefully... "One of us should call for help, and check if the others are alright."

"I'll do it!" Makoto exclaimed. What the twins had told them earlier was making her heart sick with worry, and she desperately wanted to go back to the executive office and make sure they were still alive.

"I'll go with her." Rei added, stepping beside the other brunette. "I'm worried about Haruka-san."

Michiru nodded and went over to stand beside Ami. She laid a hand on top of the blue-haired girl's head and smiled at the antsy pair in front of her. "It's settled then. I'll watch over Mizuno-chan and Minako-chan. But please hurry back with help, alright?"

Makoto nodded back; and without another word, she and Rei ran off towards their destination. As they retraced their steps back to where they had left their friends they noticed that the corridors they were rushing through were deserted.

'Why isn't anyone here?' Rei thought with a sinking feeling and glanced at the taller girl running ahead of her in frantic strides. Makoto did not seem to care about anything else, so driven was she to see if her friends were alright. Then finally, they were there. They came to an abrupt halt and breathlessly watched in dismay as a crowd of people milled around the open doorway of the office. The security guards were trying to push the persistent reporters aside as the paramedics tried to roll their smiling patient through the door. The person on the gurney was...

"Sei-chan..." Makoto gasped and rushed towards her friend. As she neared her, she noticed that the mannish girl's eyes were blank and lifeless. But what was odd was that Seiya looked like she was lost in ecstasy. The brunette tried to reach out for her friend only to have one of the guards block her way.

"Please step back." He warned her. "You are interfering with an emergency procedure."

"That's my--!" Makoto began, but was cut off when Rei grabbed her by the elbow and forcefully pulled her back. The brunette shifted her outraged eyes towards the other girl and growled, "What do you think you're doing! My friends are--"

"Look," Rei interrupted angrily, "if you tell them you know them, these stupid reporters are going to swarm all over you." 'Did this big buffoon ever stop to use her common sense?' She thought with an exasperated sigh. But she could not blame her, she was worried about Haruka too. Softening her voice, Rei went on, "Let's pull a guard aside and explain the situation to him-- well, at least the believable version of the story. Then we can ask him about your friends and Haruka-san."

The rigidness left Makoto's shoulders and sagged in defeat. "You're right." She stepped aside to let the other girl approach one of the guards. She watched them go off to one unobtrusive side to talk before she returned her attention to the paramedics who were wheeling her friend away. She balled her quivering hands into tight fists before she looked away-- finding the proceedings too painful to witness.

* * *

Hours later the girls, except Michiru who was talking quietly over by the pay phone and Minako who was being looked at by a doctor, were found sitting in the hospital's lobby in silence. Makoto was hunched over the chair, cradling her head in her hands. Ami sat beside her, watching her worriedly. This was the first time she had seen the other girl like this. Makoto had always seemed so strong and aloof, and this uninhibited display of weakness caused Ami's heart to ache with sympathy. She wanted to comfort the other girl, to reach out and touch her and show her that she was not alone. Then she sensed someone watching her.

She looked up at Rei who stood across from them and was leaning against the wall. The dark-haired girl met her gaze unflinchingly. Ami quickly ducked her head. She felt like she had been caught doing something wrong. But technically she hadn't, so she fought down the blush that was creeping up to her cheeks. She was being paranoid... It's not as if Rei was judging her, it's not as if her feelings were that obvious-- were they?

"You care for her a lot, don't you?"

Ami jumped in surprise then she started to panic. She could not believe that Rei would ask her such a question directly, especially when the object of her affections was within hearing range. What was she going to do? What was she going to say?

"Yeah..." She suddenly heard Makoto say. "Sei-chan is my best friend. Ya-chan and Ta-chan too." The brunette untangled her fingers from her hair and clasped them together in front of her, resting her chin on the knuckles. She still did not take her eyes away from her intense scrutiny of the floor. "They're my family."

Ami peeked up at Rei through her eyelashes and saw the knowing smile directed her way. Had the other girl just baited her? But she did not feel anything malicious about her intentions. Rei seemed so very aware of everything around her-- like she could sense things no matter how hard one tried to hide them. To be honest, it made Ami feel a bit uncomfortable because she was the type of girl who had a lot of things to hide.

Michiru was done with her phone call and hung up. She walked back to the others and sat down on the chair beside Ami. "What a long night..."

"Was that Mamoru-san?" The blue-haired girl asked her.

"Yes." Michiru answered and rubbed the sides of her temples with her fingers. The tension headaches were rearing their ugly heads. She just wanted to go home and forget this night ever happened. "Have you girls contacted your parents yet?"

"Mother knows I'm already here." Ami told her quietly.

Rei snorted and looked off to one side. "No way... My dad's insane. I don't want him to cause a scene."

Makoto did not answer.

Then the door to the emergency room opened, and a young and handsome doctor strode towards them. Not too far behind him, Haruka followed in a slower and careful hobble with dazed-looking Minako beside her. When Rei saw her guardian, she moved away from the wall and started towards her. "Haruka-san!"

"Hiya." The mannish blonde grinned at her weakly.

"Good evening, Mizuno-chan." The doctor greeted Ami first, recognizing the girl as the famous Mizuno Kaori's daughter. Then he looked down at his clipboard before continuing, "Good evening everyone. My name is Doctor Iwasaki. Is there anyone here who is related to the Kou sisters?"

"I am!" Makoto shot to her feet. "I'm not related to them by blood, but I'm the only family they have!"

"I'm their boss." Michiru added, rising to her feet as well. "My name is Kaioh Michiru."

Doctor Iwasaki made a small noise before tearing his eyes away from his medical dossier to look at them somberly. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this... But they have been diagnosed with Gaudium Syndrome."

"W-what's that?" Makoto had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"It is an... illness that we have yet to understand," he explained, "Basically, the victims of this syndrome are all locked in a 'happy' catatonic state. They do not seem to be aware of anything or anyone else around them."

"Can't you snap them out of it?" Minako asked him, after a long and silent pause. "I mean, have you found a cure for this kinda thing?" The doctor shook his head.

He was surprised when the tall brunette grabbed the lapels of his lab coat and shook him. "What do you mean there's no cure! Are you saying they're going to be stuck like that for the rest of their lives!"

"Kino-san!" Michiru retorted sharply.

"Makoto-san..." Ami touched her shoulder and was astonished to feel how taut it was. But she was resolved to try and do her best to comfort the other girl, and let her hand stay where it was. "Makoto-san, it's going to be alright."

The brunette jerked around to face her, her face full of pain and desperation. "'Alright!' How can you say that! Didn't you hear what he just said! There is NO CURE! So do me a favor and keep your opinions to yourself!"

Ami flinched away. But her best friend was having none of it. Minako stepped forward and slapped Makoto across the face. The sound echoed in the suddenly silent lobby. Everyone stared at the blonde in shock. Makoto reached out to cup her injured cheek, the hard impact still made her ears ring. "How dare you!" Minako yelled at her. "Don't act like your friends are already dead! They're not, aren't they? So snap out of it!"

"I..." Makoto looked down shamefully. Minako was right. She shouldn't be acting like this. She glanced at Ami at the corner of her eyes and saw her looking back at her worriedly. There was no judgment in her regard, just concern. Makoto felt guilty, she shouldn't have yelled those horrible things to Ami. "I'm sorry..." She told her softly.

Doctor Iwasaki cleared his throat awkwardly and decided to address Michiru concerning the matter at hand. He hated to interrupt, but it had been a traumatizing night for these people, and he figured that most of them wanted to go home or resolve the matter already. So he had to get this over with as soon as possible. "Kaioh-san, about the Kou sisters..."

"Yes Iwasaki-sensei?" Michiru turned to him.

"Well, people with the Gaudium Syndrome can be monitored in their homes if their relatives or their caretakers are capable of doing so. Actually, it is the ideal option... presently."

"Why so, sensei?" The aqua-haired woman frowned. "And what do you mean by 'presently?'"

He cleared his throat again. "This is not the only recent case we have, Kaioh-san." He could feel all of the women focus on him intently. "In fact, we have people coming in with Gaudium Syndrome almost everyday. There is no more room in the ICU, and we've reserved the private rooms for... special cases only. That's why," he paused to gaze at Makoto kindly, "I was wondering, if you're able to take them in? If not, do they have any other relatives somewhere who would be willing to take this responsibility?"

"No, they're orphans... like me." Makoto revealed and swallowed hard. The situation was getting worse by the minute. And she did not know if she could take it anymore. But she had to be strong. There was no one she could depend on but herself, and her friends depended on her too. So, like always, she pushed her negative feelings down forcefully and locked them away inside her. Her heart felt cramped and heavy. "I can take care of them."

"What are you saying, Kino-san?" Michiru looked at her incredulously. "Don't you have school? And what will your-- your foster parents say?"

"It's not a problem." The brunette went on bravely, jutting her chin out defiantly. "I live alone. I'll stop going school and find a way to work things out."

"But you can't do that alone, Kino-san." Iwasaki protested. "We're talking about taking care of three people 24/7. It's better if you pay for their private rooms instead."

"How much is one room, sensei?" Haruka suddenly spoke up while moving behind him.

"Seventy thousand yen per night. And that's the cheapest one we've got."

Makoto practically staggered at the amount. Minako and Ami quickly caught her from behind, and held her by the arms. "S-seventy thousand!" Even Rei paled at that. She wondered if that was how much her father spent on her when she was still in a coma. But someone like Makoto could not possibly pay that kind of money. She felt bad for the other girl.

'Poor Makoto...' Minako thought, noticing how shaken the brunette was at the news. "We'll pay for it!" She exclaimed, causing everyone to perk up at that. "Right, Kaioh-san?"

"Of course." Michiru agreed. "They are our employees after all. Their health is insured by our company."

"Right!" The blonde went on confidently and patted Makoto's back in a reassuring manner. "So don't worry about your friends, Makoto-chan! I'll make sure they're taken care of!"

'Makoto-chan?' Both Ami and Makoto thought in surprise. But the tall girl did not care at this point. In fact, she was immensely grateful for the really generous offer. So unable to help herself, she twisted around and gathered the startled blonde in her arms. "Thank you, Minako-san..." She whispered against her forehead.

Minako shivered slightly, feeling herself melt in the other girl's strong arms. She was a little amazed at how deeply Makoto cared for her friends to the point that it would affect her this intensely. She could not imagine feeling like that for someone, nor could she know how it felt to be on the receiving end of it. She ached for someone to love her like that. Maybe... Makoto could feel like that for her someday? Oh no! What was she thinking! This was not the right time for her to think about such things!

Unnoticed by both girls, Ami was staring at them with an unreadable expression on her face. She shook her head and turned to doctor Iwasaki. "Iwasaki-sensei, have you seen my mother? I'd like to ask her a few questions."

"About the Gaudium Syndrome, I presume?" The other man smiled slightly. "You can ask me anything about that subject, Mizuno-chan. Your mother is unavailable at the moment."

The blue-haired girl did not look surprised. "Gaudium is Latin for happiness-- am I correct?" She watched Iwasaki nod. "So other than what you've told us about it so far, can you tell us more about the symptoms of the illness?"

People who don't know her completely-- like Makoto, Rei and Haruka for example-- always assumed she was a completely timid person. In fact, she really was... especially when she was around people she had to interact with personally, and when she was in situations where she was forced into the limelight. But when it came to matters where her intellect or her expertise was needed, she would suddenly turn into a completely different person-- she would become unemotional like her mother. The others did not know that so the blue-haired girl didn't really mind how oddly they looked at her.

"From what we've studied about it so far, we could only conclude that it's a psychological disease." Iwasaki went on. "The disease does not affect the body except to render it immobile. The person is not aware of his surroundings. So no matter how you try to engage them in any sort of activities, they will not be able to feel it or notice it, nor could they respond to it. It is kind of like being under a coma, except that they would be awake the whole time."

"And you say there are other people like those coming in everyday?"

"That's right. We have yet to find out the cause of this strange disorder." The doctor looked troubled. He did not notice the women exchange furtive looks. "Do you have any more questions?"

"No, thank you Iwasaki-sensei." Michiru spoke up and the others concurred soundlessly.

"Very well... If that is all, I would like Kaioh-san to come with me, please. There are papers to be signed for the Kou sisters' room and maintenance."

"In a moment doctor." Iwasaki nodded and walked ahead towards the receptionist's desk to give them their privacy. The aqua-haired beauty turned to the rest of the girls and smiled at them. "You girls need to go home and rest. We'll... talk about this tomorrow or the next time we meet. I think I'm not alone in the belief that the situation needs to be discussed?"

"No you're not, Kaioh-san." Rei answered first, looking at the others grimly. "We ALL need to talk about what happened."

"I just want to forget about it..." Minako grumbled. "But yeah, I'm game."

"We can meet in my house tomorrow afternoon, at three-ish. Is that alright?" Michiru saw everyone nod in agreement and went on. "I can arrange for my husband to take Taru-chan to the mall. We'll have all the privacy we need. Both Minako-chan and Mizuno-chan know where I live. You can discuss it among yourselves how to get there. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"You want us to wait for you, Kaioh-san?" Haruka queried before the other woman had the chance to walk away.

"No, no. It's late and the girls need their rest." Michiru was referring to the teenagers. "You go on ahead. I'll take the taxi home." She smiled at her before she approached the doctor.

"A woman who likes to be in charge..." Haruka mused with a small smirk. "Alright, ladies. Anybody want a ride home?"

"If you don't mind..." Ami let the sentence trail off.

"It's Ten'ou Haruka. And it'll be a pleasure." The handsome woman winked at her, and was rewarded by a small blush. Everyone walked out of the hospital and followed Haruka to the parking lot.

Rei moved beside her and asked, "What happened when we were--?"

"If you don't mind, Rei-dono, I don't want to talk about it right now." Haruka answered without looking at her. "We have all the opportunity to do so tomorrow."

"Yeah, about that," this time the dark-haired girl craned her neck to look at Minako. "Haruka-san and I don't know where Kaioh-san lives. Can we all meet up somewhere and go together?"

"Sure!" The blonde chirped. "We can meet up at Kusanagi Hotel."

"Or," Rei sighed, "we can meet at Anna Miller's." She really was not up to tolerating snooty people who frequent high-class establishments like that. Everyone replied with varying sounds of agreement.

A few moments later, they finally reached Haruka's yellow convertible. Rei sat at the front seat while Makoto was sandwiched between Minako and Ami at the back. "Where to?" Haruka asked them as she turned the ignition and gunned the engine.

"Just drop me off at the train station." Makoto spoke first, sounding very subdued and far away.

"Why?" The older woman queried neutrally. "You can tell me where you want to go and I'll drive you there. It's no trouble at all."

"Shibuya." The brunette answered flatly. "Look, it's too far and if you don't take me to the station I can just walk."

"But why do you need to go there anyway, Makoto-san?" Ami asked her.

Makoto wanted to snap at her, to tell her to mind her own business... to tell "everyone" to mind their own "damned" business. She just wanted to be left alone right now. But she bit back her intended sharp retort. Ami was just concerned for her, there was no need for her to get angry at her friend. "I don't want to go home tonight. My apartment would feel too empty without the others."

"Makoto-san..."

"You can come over to my place." Minako interjected impulsively, then paused. 'Do I dare?' She thought, feeling her insides start to flutter at the thought of having Makoto over at her suite. She still could not believe that she was attracted to a girl. But that was not the point. She was also worried about Makoto being left alone to her own devices. And what if those monsters came back?

"I don't know Aino-san..." Makoto mumbled unsurely.

"You should accept her offer, Makoto-san." Ami suddenly spoke beside her. Minako looked at her best friend who was smiling brightly up at the taller girl, but she noticed how white her knuckles were from clutching at her knees too tightly. "Minako-chan lives in a hotel. I'm sure that whatever you're supposed to do at Shibuya, you can do it there."

"I don't want to impose..." The brunette replied unassumingly. "But if it's really okay with Aino-san, then I won't refuse."

Minako tore her eyes away from Ami's rigid hands and forced a smile at the taller girl. "Hey, I offered in the first place, didn't I? Of course I don't mind!"

"It's settled then," Haruka said. "Who am I dropping off first?"

Unbeknownst to the others, Rei had been watching the whole conversation in the rearview mirror. She looked away and closed her eyes with a heavy sigh. 'What a night...'

* * *

The cavern was tinged with pink light. The atmosphere seemed to ring as the energy surrounding this place vibrated across the rocky walls. The source of these things came from the large, glowing magic circle where the twins lay in the center of it. Just near the edges sat Pillar in a cross-legged position and was holding out her hands, her index fingers and thumb forming a triangle, in front of her. She was obviously the one controlling the energy release of the circle. She had her eyes closed. But one could not tell whether she was trying to concentrate on her task or if she was just savoring the taste of ashes from the cigarette that was stuck between her lips.

Deedee looked lost and troubled, and was unusually quiet for once. Questions where whirling inside her head. Did the queen really order Cheshire to do the things she had just done earlier? If so, why did she even ask them to kill the senshis if she really had no intentions of having them killed? But what if Cheshire had been lying and was really trying to betray them? Then why didn't the queen punish her for it?

Suddenly, she felt her sister's hand wrap itself around hers. The burns still hurt but the black-haired little girl did not pull away.

"Do not look so troubled, Deedee-onee-chan." Dumdum told her. "The queen knows what she is doing. Don't you trust our queen?"

There was a long, long pause before Deedee muttered, "Idiot. You know I do."

"It's funny..." Pillar suddenly mumbled. "This isn't the first time Cheshire has done this to us. But you act like it is."

"It's different this time." Deedee protested. "She actually helped awaken a senshi!"

"This is the last takeover. She can do whatever she wants. We still win. She's actually doing us a favor. She makes the game a little more interesting for all of us."

"Your feelings for that traitor have blinded you, Pillar." The little girl hissed back.

"And you're acting too human for your own good, Deedee. You're showing waaaay too many human emotions." The older woman bemused. Suddenly, she dropped her hands and the circle stopped glowing. The children began to twitch and groan in agony. Pillar spat out her used cigarette to the side and lit another one before resuming her position. The circle glowed again, and the twins settled down as the pain from their burns subsided. "Now, as I was saying... Cheshire is doing her job without question. You should do yours withOUT question."

Deedee was silent again. Her sister turned her head to look at her with a worried frown. 'Please don't do anything rash, onee-chan...'

* * *

+Author's Note+

Ugh... I had my wisdom tooth pulled out, so sorry for the delay. I'd also like to apologize because the colored pic I promised to give you guys along with this chappie is not finished yet. But I will upload it, in the next one. I hope you liked the latest installment! It's a little short, but only because the next one will be very long and satisfying.


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